Antenatal young parents: introducing a pathway to enhance health visiting practice

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Maternal and Child Health
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Young (teenage) parents represent a vulnerable population with poorer health outcomes for themselves and their children.
• Despite declining numbers, this group remains significantly disadvantaged.
• Health Visiting services are crucial for supporting this demographic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development of a Health Visiting practice pathway for young parents.
• To promote standardization and equity of service across diverse geographical areas within a large Trust.
• To highlight the importance of targeted health visitor resource allocation for this specific client group.

Main Methods:

• Development of a standardized Health Visiting practice pathway.
• Exploration of young parents' specific health issues.
• Analysis of challenges and opportunities within Health Visiting practice.

Main Results:

• A practice pathway was created to standardize Health Visiting services for young parents.
• The project identified key challenges and opportunities for improving service delivery.
• The need for targeted investment in health visitor resources for this group was underscored.

Conclusions:

• Standardized Health Visiting pathways can promote equity of care for disadvantaged young parents.
• Targeted interventions and resource allocation are essential for improving health outcomes in this population.
• Further recommendations for current and future Health Visiting practice are discussed.