Family support by lay workers: a health visiting initiative.
There has been considerable research on the effectiveness of intensive professional home visiting schemes in improving parenting; lay visiting schemes, however, although often popular with clients, are under-researched. This article focuses on a lay visiting scheme set up and supported by health visitors in a deprived inner city area of Sheffield between 1998 and 2000. Although this scheme was designed to run for 2 years, an interim evaluation has taken place to track its effectiveness. This mainly qualitative evaluation has not only shown benefits to clients but also identified a number of issues for safe practice. The scheme has now been awarded core funding. It illuminates the kind of relationships that can develop between lay workers and clients, and enables a discussion of the benefits of this project and the challenge such schemes can present to both policy and practice.
Perkins
E R
ER
Research and Training, Community Health, Sheffield.
MacFarlane
J
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003152:Community Health Nursing; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D020380:Needs Assessment; D011203:Poverty; D011204:Poverty Areas; D012944:Social Support; D014504:Urban Health