The iHV is an independent professional body and charity – we have no political affiliations, and our work is non-partisan. To support our key mission, we work with the government (and main political parties when requested) to influence policies affecting the health of babies, children, families and communities, as well as the health visiting profession. This includes responding to requests for written and oral evidence, completing iHV responses to selected national inquiries, participating in emergency preparedness and planning, and representing health visiting in numerous national policy Boards and Stakeholder Councils focused on key priority topics.
As part of our wider work, the iHV is involved in campaigning aimed at raising awareness, influencing public opinion, and encouraging policy change that aligns with our charitable purpose. We also engage in lobbying through direct interaction with political decision-makers (e.g., MPs and Ministers) to influence legislation or government policy. In line with charity law, we only engage in lobbying in the furtherance of our charity’s purpose, and it is not our sole activity.
The iHV is not a trade union. As such, we do not engage in workers’ negotiations with employers, collective bargaining, representation, industrial action and legal employment rights, as these actions are outside our charitable remit.
Our membership rates vary by membership type. We do all we can to keep our subscriptions as low as possible, as we want all health visiting practitioners to benefit from iHV membership and join our growing movement. iHV membership represents excellent value for money: your membership subscription will enable you to access a wide range of iHV member-only resources including Good Practice Points, Insights webinars, Networking events, Special Interest Groups and forums. You will also receive concessions, with discounted rates, for iHV Education, Learning and Development opportunities, and iHV conferences.
As a charity, the iHV relies on the income from its membership to enable us to provide our member offer – it also supports our important policy work, enabling us to act as a voice for our profession, and for the babies, children, families and communities we support.
Yes, we have a growing education, learning and development portfolio, with a range of bespoke training programmes which can be commissioned. We also provide ‘Champions’ training on selected topics, to equip practitioners to become trainers and cascade iHV training in your organisation (terms and conditions apply). We can also work with you if you have specific organisational requirements. Please contact our Education, Learning and Development team for details.
Yes, we have worked with a range of organisations to support practice-based and sector-led improvement in health visiting. Our consultancy offer is bespoke – our expert staff team have experience of managing projects of varying sizes and different requests, using a wide range of evidence-driven approaches – please contact us to discuss your requirements.
The iHV was set up with support from the Department of Health and a section 64 grant in 2012. Now, the iHV’s core funding comes from its membership – we do not receive any core funding from the government for our work. We also receive income to cover the costs of developing and delivering our education, learning and development offer (including iHV conferences), as well as grant funding for some of our project work and research.
The iHV has been set up as a charity, registered with the Charity Commission in England and Wales and with Companies House.
