Family Nurse Partnership
Family Nurse Partnership nurses support young mums aged 19 years and under who are expecting their first baby.
We get in touch early in the pregnancy and work with the young mum and, where possible, the father and her family, until her child's second birthday. This is in addition to the support provided by a midwife.
Once the child is two years old and the Family Nurse Partnership Programme has finished the family will receive support from a Locala health visitor.
How do we know that these are the right things to do?
This support programme has been developed over 30 years in the United States and three large research trials have shown it has brought short, and long term benefits for children and families.
The benefits include:
- fewer mums smoking whilst pregnant
- a longer time between the first and later babies
- fewer new mums become pregnant again
- fewer accidents
- fewer children being abused and neglected
- better language development in children
- increased number of mums getting into work
- fathers becoming more involved
The Family Nurse Partnership programme came to England in 2007 and similar benefits are already being seen. In Kirklees the programme began in 2009 and is a partnership between Kirklees Council and Locala Community Partnerships.
What do Family Nurses do?
We help the new mum to:
- be as healthy as possible whilst she is pregnant
- make sure the child is healthy and develops well
- continue her education/find work/plan for a financially stable future
During our visits we will help the new mum and her family understand the baby, work towards behaviour change where appropriate, emotional development and help to build positive relationships.
Where to find us
The team offers a home visiting service Monday to Friday 8am-5pm, excluding Bank Holidays.
Call us directly on: 01484 223483
