Specialist Health Visitor for Asylum Seekers, Refugees, Migrants and Travelling Families

The specialist health visitor with responsibility for asylum seekers, refugees, migrants and travelling families carries out the following duties:

• Adopt a rights based approach to social care by ensuring asylum seekers, refugees, migrants and travelling families are treated with dignity, equality and  respect.
• Provide a multi-agency partnership with a clear focus on refugees and asylum seekers, at both strategic and operational levels.
• Signpost, support refugees and asylum seekers to access appropriate services i.e. Education, support groups, the provision of Sure Start, English speaking of other language classes and faith based services which are culturally competent.
• Provide a robust system of interpreting by ensuring that communication with refugees and asylum seekers is effective.
• Promote independence and wellbeing by carrying out initial health assessments on asylum seeking children and refugees.
• Provide a cohesive approach to meet the support needs of travelling families living on authorised sites and unauthorised sites.
• Support families in gaining access to appropriate services e.g. GP, dental and maternity services.
• Offer and deliver on the Health Child Programme to all asylum seekers, refugees and migrants.
• Carry out health promotion, health education programmes and give family centred advice and support.
• Work according to national policies including every child matters, National Service framework, healthy child programme, NICE Guidance and implement evidence based practice.
• Promote and enable access to health services, signpost as appropriate and prevent inappropriate hospital admissions.
• Deliver high quality health care professional services to a defined population.
• Participate in multi-agency meetings and raise awareness amongst staff regarding the culture and diverse needs of this client group.
• Establish systems to facilitate the flow of information which enables best use of the expertise within the organisations.
• Liaise with both voluntary and statutory agencies and where appropriate develop joint pathways.
• Deliver training to all staff on asylum seekers, refugees, migrants, FGM and modern slavery.