Alison Morton joined the Institute as Director of Policy and Quality in 2019 to strengthen its work in Policy, delivering ‘Health Visiting in England: A Vision for the Future’ – iHV’s evidence-based blueprint to rebuild health visiting services. Alison’s contribution to health visiting was recognised through her award as one of the first five Fellows of the iHV in 2014.

Alison has an extensive background in health visiting, having held senior roles across national policy, 0-19 public health operational delivery and quality improvement, alongside teaching and research. In her previous roles, Alison worked as a Professional Advisor for Health Visiting in the Chief Nursing Directorate at the Department of Health from 2014 and then as the Best Start in Life Programme Manager at Public Health England (PHE).

Alison’s overriding ambition throughout her career has always been to ensure that every child truly does have the best start in life.

Ruth Oshikanlu is a Queen’s Nurse, midwife, health visitor, author and multiple-award-winning social entrepreneur. She is the Founder of Abule CIC and Goal Mind Ltd, leading work on trauma-responsive leadership, Black maternal health and the intense fear of pregnancy loss. A Churchill Fellow and fellow of multiple professional organisations including the Institute of Health Visiting, she is recognised nationally and internationally for nursing and midwifery leadership. Ruth is a speaker, coach and advocate for compassionate, culturally safe care and workforce wellbeing. Her work focuses on reducing health inequities, enabling families, professionals and communities through education, advocacy and innovation. 

Julie is Director of Partnerships at BookTrust, the UK’s largest children’s reading charity. She leads large-scale early years programmes, working with partners across health, education, libraries and community services to support families and young children. BookTrust works extensively with health visitors through the Bookstart Baby programme, as well as with family hubs and local teams to deliver targeted reading support in children’s earliest years. Before joining BookTrust, Julie held similar partnership and delivery roles at the youth charity The Prince’s Trust and previously worked in local government, bringing deep experience of cross-sector collaboration and public service delivery.

Frank Cottrell-Boyce is a multi-award-winning author and screenwriter. Millions, his debut children's novel, won the prestigious CILIP Carnegie Medal. His other books include Cosmic, Runaway Robot, The Wonder Brothers and many more which have been shortlisted for a multitude of prizes. Frank is also a highly successful screenwriter and, along with Danny Boyle, he devised the Opening Ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics. 

A lifelong champion of children’s books and as the Waterstones Children’s Laureate 2024 – 2026, Frank launched the Reading Rights campaign with BookTrust to highlight the role books and reading can play in transforming children’s lives.

I have worked as a Health Visitor for more than a decade and am passionate about supporting children and families. I now work as a Team Manager for Health Visiting services within Cornwall Council, where I focus on leadership, service development, and improving outcomes for local communities.

Distinguished Professor Lynn Kemp is Director of the Translational Research and Social Innovation group in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Western Sydney University and Ingham Institute. Lynn conducts a significant program of community-based child health research including world and Australian-first intervention studies such as the Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home-visiting (MECSH) study and the subsequent right@home randomised trial of sustained nurse home visiting, and the Volunteer Family Connect study, the world’s largest trial of volunteer home visiting. She is extensively published and funded with over $16.5million career research funding, five book chapters and over 150 peer reviewed publications.

Dr Alison Lamont (University College London) is a qualitative researcher specialising in the sociology of gender, family and relationships. She is currently working with Prof Jenny Woodman and Prof Katie Harron on a NIHR funded project exploring health visiting for families facing adversity in England (NIHR 129901).

Kate is an internationally renowned author, speaker, and trainer with expertise in attachment, trauma and resilience, especially in relation to vulnerable children and young people. With a social work career spanning 50 years and 30+ years as a consultant/trainer, she's committed to improving lives of those in need. She dedicates herself to bridging the gap between neuroscientific research on brain development and practical applications in service provision for vulnerable populations. She has developed training for sectors including social work, education and health. At KCA, she works collaboratively with like-minded professionals to foster an environment conducive to recovery and transformation following trauma.

I am a service manager for Health Visiting in North Ayrshire, my professional background is in Health Visiting and Midwifery.   

I have recently successfully defended my PhD thesis ‘An exploration of factors influencing professionals and families understanding and experiences of child neglect’.  

My MSc in public health explored Health Visitors confidence in working with obesity in pre-school children. 

I am a peer reviewer for the Journal of Health Visiting and have published peer-reviewed papers on child neglect and cultural competence in Health Visiting. I have presented at conferences hosted by the Journal of Health Visiting, UNICEF Baby Friendly and ISPCAN.

Lauren is a midwife, health record analyst and doctoral researcher, with experience across clinical practice, research, public health and digital health. Currently pursuing a PhD, her research explores what helps or hinders families sharing, and health professionals supporting, families' social needs. 

Lauren draws on her own experiences to champion inclusive approaches that recognise and embrace diversity, shaped by families and professionals in tandem. Alongside this, she is a Shuri Digital Fellowship alumna, an Iolanthe Midwives Award winner and a trustee for DorPIP, a specialist parent-infant relationship charity.

Nikki Freeman is a Paediatric Nurse and Health Visitor who serves as the Clinical Lead for SEND within Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust. She also works as a frontline practitioner supporting children with complex needs and has been a SEND Expert for the Institute of Health Visiting since 2022. Nikki’s early experiences as a young carer shaped her longstanding commitment to improving outcomes for children with SEND. She has led the development of local pathways, resources, competencies, and training to strengthen early identification and inclusive practice. Nikki recently completed her MSc in Autism, researching autistic parents’ experiences in the early years

Heather O’Sullivan qualified in 2004 as a Paediatric Nurse. For the past seven years, she has worked as a Public Health Staff Nurse within North Dorset's Health Visiting Team. Heather is a Mother of three children & has personal experience of extremely premature birth, a neonatal journey, and baby loss as a twinless twin parent. These experiences have shaped her passion for improving neonatal services, promoting family-integrated care, & supporting parental mental health. Heather was involved in the co-production of the BAPM Neonatal Outreach Framework & is committed to advocating for compassionate, inclusive care for families during & beyond neonatal experiences.

Currently works for the Institute of Health Visiting (iHV) as Practice Development Lead – Genomics. This role was created initially between iHV and NHSE with the advent of genomics being integrated across NHS care.  

It involves the development of the profession’s role to support all babies, children and families who may require NHS genomic services, including work with Genomics England to support Health Visitors where their local hospital is delivering the Generation Study, and strategic collaboration with national genomics leads and organisations to promote the important role health visitors have in genomics. 

Eleanor Forshaw is a dental therapist and researcher based at the University of Leeds, working in paediatric oral health and behaviour change. She co-ordinates the development and implementation of HABIT, an evidence-based preventive intervention supporting health visitors and early-years professionals to deliver effective oral health conversations with the families of young children.

Amrit is a Lecturer in Qualitative Methodology and Autism-related Oral Health Research within the School of Dentistry and a Chartered Psychologist. Her work focuses on improving oral health outcomes for autistic children through family and professional support. She is Research Lead for toothPASTE, an intervention designed to empower families to establish optimal oral health habits. Her wider work is informed by extensive experience working with local communities, autistic children, and their families to make research inclusive.

Dr Marie Spreckley is a Registered Nutritionist (AfN) and postdoctoral researcher based at the MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge. Her research focuses on behavioural and nutritional approaches to obesity, weight management, and long term weight loss maintenance, with particular emphasis on patient experiences, equity, and real world implementation. She works across several research programmes and mixed methods studies evaluating weight management interventions, including models of care delivered alongside pharmacotherapy. Her work bridges clinical practice, public health, and lived experience to support evidence informed service design.

Dr Cara Ruggiero is a behavioural nutrition researcher, practicing registered dietitian, and a Research Associate at the University of Cambridge. The overarching goal of her research is to apply a family systems lens to efforts that aim to address obesity and food insecurity. She obtained her PhD in Nutritional Sciences and a minor in Human Development and Family Studies from The Pennsylvania State University. She then completed the Harvard-Wide Paediatric Health Services Research Fellowship. Her contributions to the nutrition field are evidenced by over 30 peer reviewed publications in top tier journals such as the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

With a 40-year career in healthcare, I have held a wide variety of strategic posts in public health, community and higher education settings. Working with the iHV, I lead a wide portfolio of projects, training and collaborative research to enhance health visiting practice.

Areas of Expertise:

Subject expertise in professional practice of health visiting including – public health research and sector-led improvement in health visiting. Extensive practical and theoretical expertise in change management and leadership. Expertise in the development and delivery of training and education to support CPD of health visitors and the wider workforce. 

Jayne is a Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (Health Visitor), with a career spanning clinical practice, education, leadership, and research. She is a Senior Lecturer and Deputy Head of the School of Health Care at the University of Hull, and Professional Lead for Fitness to Practise in Nursing and Midwifery. Jayne leads postgraduate programmes in Professional Nurse Advocacy and Healthcare Leadership, is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and a Fellow of the Institute of Health Visiting. Her research focuses on public health, preconception care and alcohol, perinatal and infant mental health, safeguarding, leadership, and restorative supervision.

Joanna has a strong background in Health Visiting and Practice Teaching, and she also led a team of Quality Assurance Nurses during the pandemic. She is dedicated to nurturing future public health nurses and supporting their professional growth.

Her experience spans diverse settings, from the multicultural London borough of Brent to rural Dorset, fuelling her interest in developing cultural competence within health services.

Joanna received a Military Commander's Challenge Coin in recognition of the team's outstanding efforts and partnership with the MOD in providing HV service to Afghan refugees in Weymouth, Dorset.

Catherine Bray leads the FOREST Programme in Somerset, an innovative initiative focused on supporting families and communities through early intervention. As a Specialist Health Visitor, Catherine works collaboratively with health professionals, local services, and community partners to empower parents, strengthen family relationships, and promote emotional wellbeing. Her leadership ensures that families receive tailored guidance and resources, improving outcomes for children.

Tracey Martin is a Public Health Nursing Research Assistant at Somerset Council, supporting the evaluation and development of the FOREST Programme, an early intervention model designed to support families through a strengths‑based approach. With extensive experience in Early Years and Public Health Nursing, Tracey is dedicated to strengthening evidence‑based practice and improving outcomes for children and families. She works closely with practitioners and families, ensuring that lived experience and frontline insight inform the ongoing programme evaluation and help shape future service development.

Kathryn is the Early Years Senior Manager at Better Start leading on the Speech, Language Communication and Literacy identification, referral and universal and targeted pathway for babies and children under five.

Prior to this, Kathryn worked in various strategic Multi-Agency Early Years roles and is currently undertaking Doctoral Research at The University of Sheffield.

Melanie is Development Manager at Better Start, where she leads work on the Enhanced Healthy Child Pathway and Specialist Services. With a background in the NHS spanning paediatrics, neonatal care, research, and health visiting, Melanie brings a deep commitment to improving early childhood experiences. At Better Start, she collaborates with partners to create systems that give every child the best start in life. Passionate about parent-infant relationships and integrated support, Melanie champions approaches that put families and infants’ voices at the heart of service design, driving real and lasting change from pregnancy through to school readiness.

I am a Health Visitor (HV) and Institute of Health Visiting Expert Adviser for Health Visiting Policy in Scotland. I previously worked as a Practice Development Nurse and HV with NHS GGC, a Nurse Activity Manager with Médecins Sans Frontières, and a member of the Community Practitioner Editorial Advisory Board. I hold qualifications in Adult Nursing, Specialist Community Public Health Nursing, Tropical Nursing, and a Master of Public Health. I was the first nurse, midwife, or allied health professional to receive a Chief Scientist Office Clinical Academic Fellowship, supporting doctoral research on parental decision-making, trust, and social support.

Dr Sharin Baldwin is Senior Health Visitor Research Lead at iHV. A trained nurse, midwife and health visitor, she has over 28 years’ NHS experience including senior leadership, professional development and clinical academic roles. She completed her PhD through a NIHR Clinical Doctoral Fellowship, becoming the first UK health visitor to receive this award, and led the New Dad Study (NEST). She led Phases 1 and 2 of the ADBB study and now co-leads an NIHR national evaluation of the MECSH programme. Sharin is an adjunct Research Fellow at Western Sydney University and Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Kent.

Gemma Jolly is the Head of Health and Wellbeing at The Reading Agency. She oversees the organisation's reading and health work, including Reading Well. Prior to working at The Reading Agency, Jolly led and delivered a range of health information and support services for national charities, including Alzheimer's Society and The Migraine Trust. She is passionate about the importance of health literacy and advocates for the power of reading to help people manage their health and wellbeing.

Claire Harvey works and lives on the beautiful Island of Jersey, working as a MECSH Champion and Health Visitor for Family Nursing and Home Care. Qualifying as a Registered Nurse in 1996, after studying for her Degree at Kings College, London University.  Then, following her passion for working with families to make a difference right from the start, studied at Southbank University, completing her Post Graduate Diploma in Specialist Community Public Health Nursing - Health Visiting in 2000. Claire has been leading the MECSH programme in Jersey since 2022 and recently achieved the title of Queen’s Nurse.

Victoria Wiskin is the Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home-visiting (MECSH) Lead Health Visitor in Guernsey, Channel Islands. She qualified as a Midwife in Oxford in 2001, gaining a BSc (Hons), and went on to work in both Oxfordshire and Guernsey. In 2010, Victoria completed her Specialist Community Public Health Nursing degree at the University of Suffolk. She has a longstanding professional interest in engaging and supporting families from harder-to-reach communities and became the MECSH Lead in 2018. Victoria remains deeply committed to early intervention and achieving the best possible outcomes for all children and families.

Hilda leads the Perinatal and Infant Mental Health portfolio at the Institute of Health Visiting, supporting the development of universally high-quality health visiting practice through training, research, policy development and campaigning. She has had over 30 years of experience in the NHS as a nurse, midwife and specialist health visitor and is trained in ADBB, VIG and NBO. She is passionate about the role of health visitors in reducing family health inequalities and ensuring that all babies receive the nurturing, early care-giving relationships they need to achieve their best outcomes.

Kieran Anders is the National Lead at Home-Start UK for the Dad Matters project, supporting fathers in the perinatal period. An Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Health Visiting, Kieran supports our fathers' perinatal and infant mental health training program. He is passionate about improving outcomes for babies, and their dads, co-parents, and families by promoting early bonding, positive mental health, and better access to services. Kieran has a background in community development, teaching, family support and perinatal mental health, and is passionate about making sure every baby knows that their dad matters.

Dr Michael Fanner is a Consultant Public Health Nurse for 0-19 Public Health Nursing at Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, providing expert clinical leadership across practice, education, research, and service development. In this role, he works collaboratively to improve outcomes and reduce health inequalities for babies, children, young people, and families. Previously, he worked for almost three years as a Senior Researcher at the University of Oxford, focusing on evidence-based social interventions and policy evaluations in infant mental health, with Professor Jane Barlow. Michael’s interests centre on the development and delivery of complex social interventions in child public health programmes 

Vicky is a Public Health Nutritionist with an MSc from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a PhD from University College London. She has over two decades experience working in maternal, infant and young child nutrition and feeding in the UK and internationally. Vicky has been the Director of First Steps Nutrition Trust since 2021 and is passionate about leading its small but mighty team in its vision to ensure all young children in the UK eat well from the start of life and are protected from commercial influence.

Ashley Ferguson is a registered Midwife, Health Visitor and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Ashley is a Health Visiting Team Lead and Infant Feeding Practitioner in the Western Health & Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland. 

Together with the Infant Feeding Team, Ashley has developed an early intervention breastfeeding support programme which offers breastfeeding specific support following hospital discharge. 

Recently Ashley completed her MSc in Public Health and Health Promotion at the University of Ulster which focused on the evaluation of the services provided by Infant Feeding Team’s intervention programme and wider impact of the same.

Hamida Serdiwala-White is an experienced Health Visitor and Interim Head of the Health Visiting (0–5) Service in Tower Hamlets, leading the Healthy Child Programme in response to evolving community needs, including rising poverty, population mobility, increasing SEND needs and public health challenges.

Hamida is strongly committed to advancing equity in children’s health, improving access to clear and inclusive health information and embedding lived experience at the heart of service design. Her support for the Healthier Wealthier Families in East London project reflects her dedication to reducing health inequalities and strengthening outcomes for children and families.

Known for my dedication and enthusiasm as a Health Visitor I have always had a strong interest in family-centered and inclusive practice. Working across diverse communities in various roles has shaped my focus on the role of fathers and their influence on family wellbeing and child outcomes. I was one of the champion leads within the Fathers Pilot in my quadrant, which has since expanded regionally. I am committed to collaborative, strengths-based working and to promoting a Think Family approach alongside a dedicated health visiting team, advocating for children and families across complex and varied contexts.

I am an experienced and dedicated Public Health Nursing Team Lead for Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust, committed to promoting child health through prevention and early intervention. I qualified as a paediatric nurse in 2008 and completed my SCHPN training in 2012. Throughout my leadership, I have guided my team through several successful pilots, including an innovative project focused on screening fathers’ mental health. I am passionate about ensuring families receive the support they need for healthier futures. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, swimming, going to the gym, creating art, and reading.

Tracey is a Nurse Consultant at Rotherham, Doncaster, and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) and a NIHR Senior Research Leader. Tracey co-leads the award-winning Yorkshire and Humber 0-19 Research Network. 

Tracey’s commitment to nursing, research, and others was recognised, when shortlisted twice for the Nursing Times ‘Nurse of the Year’. Tracey was also awarded the title of Queen’s Nurse. 

Tracey is an iHV Fellowship Scholar, an Honorary Fellow (Public Health) and final year PhD student at the University of Hull. This Nursing Studies PhD explores the transition to adoptive parenthood, a subject of personal and professional interest.

Kathryn, a Maternal Child and Family Health (MCH) nurse from Australia, has held senior leadership roles across local and state government in child and family health and early parenting. Her career is focused on adapting and enhancing team performance to improve outcomes for parents and children.  This has enabled her to understand the multiplicity and interplay of factors that impact on children, individuals and communities.

She is enrolled as a Professional Doctorate student at La Trobe University Melbourne. Her research topic is clinical governance in MCH services.

Dr Michelle Moseley is a Registered Nurse (Adult and Child), Health Visitor, Nurse Educator, and PhD‑qualified researcher with extensive experience in clinical practice, safeguarding leadership, higher education, professional policy and national programme development. Beginning her career in paediatric nursing, she later focused on early childhood development and safeguarding within health visiting. Through her roles at Cardiff University and the Royal College of Nursing, Michelle has influenced education and national policy. Her PhD explored safeguarding supervision for health visitors. Currently Director of Learning and Development at the Institute of Health Visiting, Michelle is passionate about improving outcomes for children and families.

I am Angie, Registered Nurse and Health Visitor with 38 years’ experience of working in the NHS. I have predominantly worked with children, young people and families in various settings. I am a Specialist Public Health Nurse with several post graduate qualifications.

For 9 years I delivered and supervised the Family Nurse Partnership programme and recently worked in Designated roles to influence care pathways for CiC and children needing safeguarding. 

I strongly believe in prevention and early intervention to achieve best outcomes for children and feel excited to share the work that we have been doing in Hull around this.

Amanda Holland is the Education, Learning and Development Lead at the Institute of Health Visiting (iHV). Amanda leads the delivery of a wide range of training programmes overseeing the quality assurance of current curriculum and developing new high quality learning opportunities for health visitors and skill mix teams.

An NMC-registered SCPHN health visitor, adult nurse, teacher, iHV Fellow’s Scholar and Senior Fellow with Advance HE, Amanda’s career spans adult nursing, health visiting, higher education and national leadership. She is deeply committed to education, regulation and workforce development, supporting the ongoing professional development of health visitors and skill-mix teams across the four nations to improve outcomes for babies, children and families.

In 2023, Amanda led the co-development of the iHV UK Preceptorship Framework for Health Visiting, published in 2024. She is also a published author, contributing to the literature and evidence base that informs practice and professional development in health visiting.

Helen Bolton is a Health Visitor, Mental Health Nurse and Integrative Psychotherapist. Having begun her career in CAMHS and Mother & Baby inpatient settings she has spent 24 years working as a Health Visitor. She is passionate about perinatal mental health and sees this as fundamental to Health Visiting. She became an iHV PIMH champion and further developed this focus recently, completing Derby University’s MSc in Integrative Counselling & Psychotherapy. This provided the opportunity to research the experience of autistic Mums; an interest generated through her Health Visiting practice. She currently splits her working week between Health Visiting and Perinatal Psychotherapy teams.

Louisa is a health visitor research associate at the iHV and a registered midwife and health visitor with experience across practice, research, and public health. Her research interests focus on family and child health, health inequalities and how health visiting practice and service delivery can improve outcomes for children and families. Louisa is passionate about strengthening the evidence base for health visiting and translating research into effective, evidence-based practice. 

Shirley has made her career within the NHS.

From qualifying as a staff nurse at St. Mary's hospital in Paddington, to four years later gaining her health visitor's registration enabling her to work across London. 

Over 30 years later, with forays into management, and two master-level degrees, she admits that it has been quite a journey. Shirley has decided to challenge herself once again, and is now in her second year of a PhD, researching into 'Same-sex couple's transition to parenthood and their access to evidence-based advice provided by health visitors'.

Liz Bailey registered as a midwife in 2004 and undertook her PhD (University of Warwick) on the physiology of contractions and the prevention of pre-term birth. Liz then moved to a Research Fellow post at Imperial College Healthcare Trust and then a joint clinical academic post at UHCW NHS Trust/Coventry University (2014-2021) including being a NIHR 70@70 Senior Research Leader. Liz became the Director of the Elizabeth Bryan Centre for Multiple Births (EBMBC) at Birmingham City University (BCU) in 2021 and is now Professor of Multiple Births and Midwifery working with professionals and families to improve education, practice and research.

I am a Public Health Service Development & Commissioning Lead at the Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames with a focus on 0-19 Health Visiting & School Health as well as Sexual Health services. Having recently completed an MPH, this gave me an opportunity to do some research on one of the programmes we commission locally. The Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home-visiting (MESCH) programme is a structured programme of sustained home visiting for families with increased vulnerabilities.

Very much a generalist, a family man and below par sportsman.

I am a Registered Nurse, Midwife, and Health Visitor, currently working as the MECSH Lead. MECSH is an evidence-based early intervention programme that supports women and families experiencing vulnerability from the antenatal period until a child reaches two years of age. I work closely with families to build strong therapeutic relationships, promote maternal and child health, and support positive parent–child relationships. I enjoy working alongside families within MECSH, empowering parents, building resilience, and supporting them to achieve the best possible outcomes for their children, while embedding MECSH as an integral part of the health visiting service.

I am the Service Manager for the 0-19 Children and Young People's Public Health Service at Dorset Healthcare.

My previous roles include working as a Health Visitor, and a Children's Centre manager. I have led several initiatives in the past including a public health service transformation.

Michile and Emily are Health Visitors with a specialist interest in working with vulnerable and marginalised families. Together, they deliver prison based health promotion and parenting interventions, supporting fathers to build confidence, strengthen bonding and attachment, and prepare for re-transition into family life. Their work focuses on reducing health inequalities, improving early child outcomes, and strengthening links between prisons, families and community health visiting services. Michile and Emily are passionate about ensuring that children affected by parental imprisonment are recognised, visible and supported from the earliest stages of life.

Michile and Emily are Health Visitors with a specialist interest in working with vulnerable and marginalised families. Together, they deliver prison based health promotion and parenting interventions, supporting fathers to build confidence, strengthen bonding and attachment, and prepare for re-transition into family life. Their work focuses on reducing health inequalities, improving early child outcomes, and strengthening links between prisons, families and community health visiting services. Michile and Emily are passionate about ensuring that children affected by parental imprisonment are recognised, visible and supported from the earliest stages of life.

Dawn is an experienced Registered Nurse and Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (Health Visitor). Her most recent practice role was as a Family Nurse Supervisor within the Family Nurse Partnership Programme in Hampshire, where she delivered specialist support to young parents and their children alongside providing leadership and clinical supervision to the Family Nurse team.

Dawn is currently undertaking a three-year PhD at the University of Surrey, exploring the lived experiences of young fathers with histories of domestic abuse in childhood. This doctoral research is supported by a full-time studentship awarded by the South East Doctoral Training ARC (SEDarc).