Health visitors are key players in todays community health plans. Their core skills in health promotion, epidemiology and surveillance make them ideal candidates for this role. Health visitors work with clients from a variety of backgrounds and this book particularly highlights work with Afro-Caribbean, South Asian and Travelling Families. It gives an insight into their customs and religions as well as the particular health needs of these groups. "Health Visiting: Specialist and Higher Level Practice" examines the evolution of the health visitor and outlines their main functions in relation to public health. It focuses on important areas of health visiting activity whilst comprehensively covering a range of issues involved in the field. These include: managing violence and aggression prevention of abuse complementary therapies nurse prescribing. This new book reflects the changes in health visitor practice brought about by legislative and educational changes particularly in relation to clinical governance, leadership and primary care group organisation. It defines the new status of the health visitor as a specialist practitioner and explores the less easily defined area of higher level practice. Students on post-registration specialist health visitor courses, practice teacher or specialist supervisor courses, practising health visitors and community health care nurses from other disciplines will find "Health Visiting: Specialist and Higher Level Practice" an essential text for their needs.