Health visitors' role in services for children with disabilities.

Health visitors play a vital role within the specialist child development team providing support for children with disabilities and their families, write Margaret Yerbury and Jim Thomas. They report the findings of a study which revealed the significant contribution of health visitors and nurses in such teams in contributing to the ability of families to develop skills to meet their child's special needs and maximise the child's potential. The study also revealed concern among parents and professionals where no specialist health visiting support was available. This vital service may be at risk from cuts in health visiting services, they warn.