School Nursing

The School Nursing Service works in partnership with children, young people and their families to ensure that children’s and young people’s health needs are supported within their school and their community.

The service provides a nurse-led service to all children from the stage that they start in reception at school through to 19 years old. This includes support to children who are ‘Educated at Home’. Every school in Walsall has access to a named school nurse and the schools have been provided with posters to display which have the name, a picture and the contact details of their school nurse.

School Nurses also work closely with Education, Social Care and other health professionals, including GP’s and Community Paediatricians to help children and young people to remain healthy and to ensure that any health needs are met. Nurses work for the NHS and are based in community health centres.

The school nursing team includes:

• School Nurse – a registered nurse who previously trained and worked in the hospital before working in the community. They have a further specialist qualification in public health at degree or masters level
• Community Staff Nurse – a registered nurse with additional experience in public health, child health and development
• Community Nursery Nurse – qualified in child development with additional training in areas including sleep, behaviour interventions and promotion of healthy eating
• Clinical Support Workers – have experience and specific training to work with children and young people in schools and in the community and work with the supervision of a School Nurse.
• School Nurse Administrators – who support the School Nurse Team by arranging clinics, appointments and taking phone calls to answer general queries about the service. They will be your first point of contact when you call the service.

What services and support do we provide?

• Advice and support about a range of health issues including:
  • relationships and sexual health
  • emotional health and well-being
  • healthy weight and exercise
• Behaviour Management Groups for parents
• Self-esteem and confidence building groups for children and young people
• ChatHealth Texting Service for young people aged 11+
• ChatHealth Texting Service for parents and carers
• HealthforKids and HealthforTeens websites
• Safeguarding children and supporting children and their families in need of additional help. (We work with a range of other agencies to provide this support)
• Enuresis (bedwetting) clinic
• Support for children and young people with continence problems
• Supporting children with medical and additional needs
• Provide the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP)
• Support to schools:
  • Training to support children with medical needs
  • Training and support to deliver Sex and Relationship Education (SRE)
  • Training and support to deliver Mental Health Promotion

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