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Services for Young Children

Working as a community nursery nurse

What is a community nursery nurse?

Community nursery nurses work with families and children (usually from birth to age eight) within community nursing, health visiting and family support teams. They use their specialist knowledge of children’s health needs to support parents and boost the child's development through play.

As a community nursery nurse, you would usually work closely with a health visitor to assess a family’s care needs. You would then work independently with the family, following an agreed care or play plan. Your clients could include:

families with sick children
vulnerable families living with mental health issues, addiction or disability
children in need of protection.

What could I be doing?

Your duties could include:

providing clear information and guidance to parents on health, childcare and child development
planning and running stimulating play activities with children and parents/carers
working in partnership with parents to develop their skills through positive play experiences
preparing a safe play environment, setting up equipment, cleaning and storing toys and equipment securely
assessing children’s development and skills and referring to other professionals when necessary
carrying out hearing screening of newborn babies
reporting unusual behaviour or signs of abuse.

You may also work with a health visitor to run health promotions workshops on issues such as:

behaviour management techniques
infant nutrition, weaning and toilet training
baby massage, baby yoga, and breastfeeding techniques.

You would work in a variety of community settings, such as the client’s own home, clinics, community centres or GP’s surgeries.

You may work with families experiencing emotional distress, such as domestic violence, and other difficult situations like bereavement. You would need to be prepared for dealing with challenging situations such as verbal aggression and parents who are uncooperative.

What qualifications and experience do I need?

To work as a community nursery nurse, you will need:

a nursery nursing qualification (BTEC National Diploma in Children’s Care, Learning and Development,·CACHE Level 3 Diploma in Child Care and Education or·NVQ Level 3 in Children’s Care, Learning and Development )
around two years’ post-qualifying experience with pre-school children (you may also need experience in a variety of settings and with families with special needs)
a driving licence and access to a vehicle.

Want to find out about other careers?

The Direct.gov.uk website has information on a variety of different jobs