NHS Scotland Guide to Careers a Community Child Health Worker

There are various types of roles within the Community caring for children. The majority of these are for trained nursing staff who support families in caring for their children at home and school. Community Children’s Nurses provide advice and support for families following discharge from hospital after an operation or illness. They will carry out nursing procedures in the home if required. Other families that they support are those with children who have chronic medical conditions, complex disabilities or terminal illness.

Community Children’s Nurses work closely with colleagues in hospital, GP surgeries, social work, education and the voluntary sector.

Community Children’s Nurses are usually supported by a team of staff who may include staff nurses and clinical support workers.

They each have a group of children and families that they look after (called a caseload) within a particular area and often drive long distances to visit families at home. They usually work alone but keep in touch with their base office, usually a hospital, via mobile telephone. Community Children’s nurses can often be involved in caring for distressed families and dealing with challenging situations.

Entry Requirements
To work as a Community Children’s Nurse you must have a Diploma or Degree in Child Health and a specialist qualification in Community Nursing. Staff nurses should have a Diploma/Degree in Child Health. Clinical support workers should have a minimum of SVQ2 or equivalent in child care and experience of looking after children would be an advantage.

You should have excellent communication and interpersonal skills. You should also have the ability to work autonomously and within a team. You should have excellent clinical and decision making skills and you must have a valid driving licence.

Training
When you start you will attend the Divisional Corporate induction programme and following this you will have a local induction/preceptorship programme to support you in your role, this usually lasts 3–6 months. Mandatory training, such as manual handling, basic life support and fire awareness is also provided.