I understand your point. I have been asking around all my friends who are parents and it seems the visits are not strictly compulsory. Social Services do contact the new parent(s) and arrange visits, but the parents do have the option to say"no".
I have yet to meet someone who ever said no, and who wasn’t welcoming to the help offered.
And I don’t’ think the service is all about helping the parents whether they want it or not, but also partly about ensuring the child is receiving a minimum level of care, cleanliness and diet. I don’t think the child deserves any less.
Why is it insulting to assume parents might not be capable of diagnosing a speech impediment or a hearing problem in their child? There are many issues which may be missed by the best of parents, which could otherwise be counteracted swiftly and easily, and with minimum fuss, by the Health Visitor or other consultants.
Of course home schoolers should be visited. Passing academic test is not enough; the child could be a little genius passing with little help from its home-schooling parents, or it could be an ordinary child drilled into academic excellence to the detriment of its social development. Who knows? Nobody, unless the home school is visited. If what KellyM says is true, that private schools are so underlegislated, then homeschoolers might have a case for a similar level of non-intervention; however, if (as in the UK) all schools are subject to some inspections to ensure acceptable standards, I really can’t see why home-schoolers should be any different.