The views of staff working with under 5-year-olds in providing flu vaccine information

Between December 2024 and February 2025, we heard from 115 people who work and volunteer with young children, about how confident they feel talking to parents about the flu vaccine for under 5-year-olds.

This project follows on from our previous report: The Views of Parents and Guardians on Baby and Toddler Flu Vaccinations. This report showed that parents wanted vaccine information from people they trust, so we set out to find out how confident those people feel giving that information.

In this project, we wanted to know how how people working with young children feel about giving vaccine information. We also wanted to learn what training or resources they have, and what might help increase their confidence when parents and guardians ask for advice.

What we found

We heard from 115 people in a range of roles - from nursery staff and childminders to nurses and health visitors.

Some key things they told us:

• Just under a third felt very confident giving vaccine information to parents
• Over a third didn’t feel confident
• Most people who had received training felt more confident
• Many people in non-health roles are happy to share information with parents and guardians but don’t feel it’s part of their role to advise
• Some professionals don’t currently have access to training or clear, up-to-date information

People shared a range of ideas to help improve vaccine uptake, such as:

• Giving clear, consistent information to parents and staff at the start of each flu season
• Making vaccine training more accessible — especially for staff in education and childcare
• Providing more flexible vaccine appointments, including in nurseries or pharmacies
• Using trusted places like toddler groups or schools for information sessions

What happens next

We’ve shared this feedback with Derbyshire County Council’s Public Health team and the NHS Integrated Care Board. It will help shape this year’s winter flu vaccine campaign for children under five.

Read the full report to learn more.  

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