For Professionals

Referrals to Health Visiting service

If you would like to refer/discuss a child or family, please contact the Health Visiting team directly. If you�re not sure which is the correct team, you can contact the 0-19 Single Point of Contact team on 020 3074 2650 (or email at whh-tr.0-19haringey@nhs.net).

Parent Infant Psychology Service (PIPS)

PIPS is an NHS service for parents and their infants in Haringey whose primary focus is to promote positive parent-infant relationships and support parents� emotional well-being during their children�s infancies. When a professional is concerned about a parent or infant, please discuss the case with the child�s Health Visitor Duty Desk to let them know of your concerns. We would then ask the Health Visitor to investigate and offer support before filling out a referral to PIPS if they think it appropriate.

MECSH

The Health Visiting service is now delivering the MECSH programme for families in Haringey. Please see information about the programme below and how to refer families to us who you think may be eligible.

What is MECSH?

The Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home-visiting (MECSH) programme is a structured programme of home visiting for families. It provides personalised professional support for mothers and families as they transition into parenthood and as their child grows and develops. Support can be given from pregnancy until the baby is 2 years old.

The programme encourages parents to work with their Health Visitor to create a plan for their needs and their baby�s needs. The same Health Visitor will continue to visit except for the times when they may be away, then another will help out.

This programme is tailored to improve outcomes for families who may benefit from early input and support.

MECSH is a voluntary programme and parents can withdraw from it at any time.

How many visits will I receive?

Visits will usually start during pregnancy or after the baby is born. A Health Visitor will visit regularly until baby is 12 weeks old and agree a schedule of visits that works for them until their child reaches 2.

What happens during a home visit?

At each visit parents have the opportunity to talk with their Health Visitor about how things are going and the child�s growth and development.

The Health Visitor will provide information about caring for the baby and how to play and talk with the baby to help them grow and learn. They will support parents to identify and plan for the needs of the baby, themselves and the family.

Each visit will usually last around 1 hour. The Health Visitor may take photos or videos with permission.

Parents may be asked to give anonymous feedback and the Health Visitor will give a QR code to scan at the various contact points.

For more information, please see the MECSH leaflet for families.

How to refer a family?

If you are a professional and identify a family who you believe could benefit from the MECSH programme, or you are a parent/carer and would be interested in finding out more, please contact the local Health Visiting team.

We will then assess the family and make contact to offer the programme if appropriate. Ideally women/parents will be enrolled on to the programme in the antenatal period but can be enrolled up until the baby is 8 weeks old (older if baby is premature and in hospital).

Parents eligible for MECSH include:

Young parents
Safeguarding concerns - prebirth concerns, CP plans, CIN or a family where an older child has a CP plan
Domestic Violence and abuse, current or past
Maternal and family mental health concerns
Parents requiring enhanced support e.g., a parent with a learning disability
Attachment/bonding /emotional warmth concerns
Substance misuse in the family
Adverse Childhood experiences (ACE), including history of being in care
Contextual Safeguarding concerns e.g., older child excluded from school

This list is not exhaustive. The eligibility criteria will be used in conjunction with Health Visitor and parental discussions, either antenatally or postnatally.

Last updated19 Nov 2024