Understanding why parents disengage in child health surveillance reviews: A health visitor's perspective

Abstract

Parental disengagement in child health services can have an adverse affect on a child's health and, in some cases, may have serious implications for their safety. Current health policy recommends routine surveillance reviews of the health and development for every child by the end of their first year of life, and at 2–2½ years of age. Health visitors are the lead professionals in delivering the core requirements of this policy. Coverage of routine health checks decreases as children age, is generally lower in deprived areas and fundamentally relies on parental engagement, particularly for children who are disadvantaged socially, economically or psychologically. Health visitors from a single NHS Trust participated in a focus group to share their opinions and thoughts on why parents disengage in child health surveillance reviews, with a particular emphasis on the 2–2½ year review. This research illustrates the value of the relationship with the health visitor in engaging parents in interventions such as child health surveillance reviews. It also supports existing literature stating that vulnerable families can be difficult to engage with and emphasises the importance of health visitors adopting creative and flexible practice to engage parents in child health surveillance.