Health visitors play a vital role in giving every child the best possible start in life. They work with children and families from pregnancy through to school entry, supporting early development, protecting health, and helping reduce inequalities across communities.The PgD Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (Health Visiting) prepares you to take on this role. Designed for NMC-registered nurses and midwives, the course focuses on developing specialist practice within child and family public health. You’ll develop the professional knowledge, leadership skills and clinical confidence needed to work autonomously within community settings while responding to the realities of modern health visiting practice across Scotland and the wider UK.Practice-based learning is central to the course. You’ll work directly within health visiting teams, applying theory in real situations and building confidence in decision-making, communication and partnership working. Placements across NHS boards in Scotland help you understand current policy, service delivery and the challenges facing children, families and communities today.At GCU, you’ll learn from experienced academics and practitioners with strong links to NHS services and third sector organisations. Guest speakers, specialist input and recognised training in areas such as perinatal mental health, parenting approaches and UNICEF Baby Friendly deepen your understanding of contemporary child and family health practice. The course also gives you an international perspective on public health nursing through collaborative online learning with partner universities in Sweden and Portugal. Alongside this, you’ll engage with current research, policy and professional guidance that reflects the changing landscape of health visiting and community care.When you graduate, you’ll be ready to lead, influence and deliver services that support children, families and communities to thrive in the UK and beyond.