5th Nordic Health Promotion Conference

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5th Nordic Health Promotion Conference

• An example of service provision
• for vulnerable families
• Based on community maps of child development
• Dr. Karen Stagnitti
• Ben Serpell
• Brylie Gorman

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Where in the world is this research?
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(No Transcript)
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City of Greater Geelong

• 75 kilometres south-west of Melbourne, Victoria,
  Australia
• Population of 200,067
• Children aged 0 6
• 16,876

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This presentation

• This presentation focuses on the developmental
  profile of children in the City of Greater
  Geelong
• Matches this information with a parenting program
  that targets vulnerable families to reduce
  developmental delay

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Life Course Theory

• Lifecourse research has indicated that conditions
  early on in life can have long-term effects on
  adult health.
• Life course theory
• Explains that a disadvantaged childhood can be a
  predictor of
• disadvantaged adulthood in regards to
  socioeconomic status, development of social and
  cognitive skills, education, and employment
• negative future health
• (Attree, 2005)

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Consequences of Disadvantaged Childhood

• Greater tendency to incur poor health,
• early departure from school,
• less employment opportunities,
• teenage pregnancies
• Individuals are more likely to develop insecure
  social relationships
• Large economic burden on the health system

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Australian Early Developmental Index

• Based on work carried out in Canada
• Australian Early Development Index (AEDI)
  Building Better Communities for Children
• AEDI is based on a teacher-completed checklist of
  children's development.
• Results provide communities with a basis for
  reviewing the services, supports and environments
  that influence children in their first five years
  of life.
• Provides information for schools and the
  community to look ahead and plan supports that
  enhance children's capacity to be successful once
  they reach school.
• Information gathered on each childs
• physical health and wellbeing, social competence,
  emotional maturity, language and cognitive
  skills, communication skills and general knowledge

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Results for Geelong (2005)

• Number of schools participating 57
• Proportion of eligible schools 77
• Number of participating teachers 117
• Number of participating children 2,135
• Proportion of children with English as a second
  language 1.7
• Proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
  Islander children 1.1

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Proportion of children developmentally vulnerable
in one or more domains of the AEDI
Proportion of children vulnerable N percent Proportion of children vulnerable N percent
32.9 to 45.5
20 to 32.8
14 to 19.9
9.6 to 13.9
3.4 to 9.5
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Details on child development in areas of child
vulnerability (N 359)
Dev. vulnerable
Children doing well
Physical health and well-being 26 (7.2) 161 (44.8)
Social competence 45 (12.5) 81 (22.6)
Emotional maturity 51 (14.2) 44 (12.3)
Language and cognitive domain 48 (13.4) 110 (30.6)
Communication skills General knowledge 55 (15.3) 104 (29)
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SEIFA low income, edu. level, unemployment etc
Proportion of children vulnerable N percent Proportion of children vulnerable N percent
1. More Disadvantaged
2.
3.
4.
5. Least disadvantaged
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From the AEDI

• Identified that Northern and south-east suburbs
  of Geelong have children who are developmentally
  vulnerable, particularly in emotional maturity,
  social competence, communication.
• High proportion of sole parents,
• Areas are identified as disadvantaged on measures
  of income, educational level, employment,
  unskilled jobs
• Against this background a service called NEWPIN
  has started to operate

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NEWPIN

• New Parent Infant Network (NEWPIN)
• Established by Bethany Community Support in 2004
• First NEWPIN program in Victoria
• Other programs in Sydney, London, and Northern
  Ireland.

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NEWPIN Geelong

• Adapted the program to suit the needs of the area
• Targeted at parents at risk of losing their
  children,
• isolated parents,
• parents who are experiencing anger,
  frustration,
• sadness or
  fear.
• Aims to prevent and break the cyclical effect of
  child maltreatment

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NEWPIN program

• Centre-based early intervention intensive support
  program
• Establishes a befriending and therapeutic network
  for parents at risk
• Theoretical framework development of healthy
  attachment between parent and infant
• Psychotherapeutic approach to assist mothers in
  developing an understanding of their own
  behaviours and processes that impact on parenting.

Addresses the emotional maturity, social
competence, and communication development of
young children
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NEWPIN interventions

• Child-parent play
• Peer support
• Therapeutic groups
• Group work and personal development programs for
  parents including
• Keeping Children Safe
• Our Skills as Parents
• Therapeutic Support Group
• Family Play Program
• Healthy kids, Healthy relationships
• SEER Support, Empathy, Equality, and Respect
  Group

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Two studies are being undertaken this year

• 1. Investigation of the impact of the NEWPIN
  Program on childrens development
• 2. An investigation into the experiences of
  mothers in the Geelong NEWPIN program in
  transferring learned parenting skills from the
  playroom to their everyday environment

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Study 1 Child development

• Inclusion in early intervention programs can
  increase academic achievements, cognitive
  development and IQ levels whilst also decreasing
  the possibility of unemployment and health
  difficulties in the future
• (McCain Fraser-Mustard, 1999)
• The NEWPIN program in Australia is directed at
  early intervention for children 0-5years of age
  and their mothers

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Study 1

• Is involvement in the NEWPIN program associated
  with improved developmental levels of children
  aged 0-5 years from disadvantaged families in the
  City of Greater Geelong?
• Sample
• Participants are all children aged 0-5 years who
  attend the NEWPIN program at least twice a week
  and who engaged with the program in the year of
  2006.

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Study 1 method

• Children will be observed in a play situation in
  a room at Bethany
• Symbolic and Imaginative Play Developmental
  Checklist (developmental play level)
• Hawaii Early Learning Profile (developmental
  levels)
• The parents given feedback
• Re-assessment three months after the initial
  assessments.
• Information gathered on changes in the childs
  development in 3 months measured against
  chronological age.

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Study 2

• Investigate the experience of mothers in
  transferring learning from the NEWPIN program to
  home environment
• PARTICIPANTS
• Mothers referred to the Geelong NEWPIN program
  and who are at risk of, or who have, committed
  child abuse. Mothers must be 18 years of age or
  older.

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Study 2 methods

• Qualitative measure
• Parent interview 3 x interviews 6 weeks apart
• Semi structured interview
• What do you consider to be bad behaviour?
• When does your child engage in these behaviours?
• How do you react when your child engages in bad
  behaviour?
• What do you consider to be good behaviour?
• When does your child engage in these behaviours?
• How do you react when you child engages in good
  behaviour?

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Study 2 method quantitative measure

• Parent Child Relationship Inventory
• Large normative sample similar to the sample in
  this project
• Proven reliability and validity
• Differs from other parenting measures as it
  examines parents attitudes rather than
  describing behaviours as, for example, good or
  bad
• Using quantitative and qualitative data is new
  research in this area of transferred learning.

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Conclusion

• Mapping childrens development (in first year at
  school) gives an indication of
• community needs and support services for
  families
• services that are required to address specific
  needs
• NEWPIN program in Geelong
• supports families at risk in areas of
  disadvantage
• Two studies will provide baseline data on
• How NEWPIN impacts on child development
• If parents transfer knowledge from the program to
  the home environment