Award for Ballymun parenting programme

AN INNOVATIVE parenting programme in Ballymun is celebrating after winning the Primary Care Centre of the Year award for 2014.

The pioneering Parent-Child Psychological Support Programme delivered by the Ballymun HSE Primary Care Team focuses on prevention rather than cure and is a community driven initiative rather than the more traditional referral model.

The local Primary Care Team was presented with its award in the Axis Arts Centre, Ballymun, by Minister of State for Primary Care, Alex White last Thursday (June 12).

The programme delivered by the team involves parents, speech therapists and public health nurses working in partnership with youngballymun, a prevention and early intervention agency.

Lee Redmond, a local parent who participated in the programme with her daughter, Clodagh, said the programme had made a difference to both her and her child.

“People say that you don’t get a book when you have your baby but it was like I did have a book because I had the programme,

? she said.

“It makes you feel better as a parent and you can be more confident and therefore your child will do better. I really feel that Clodagh and I have a better relationship because of it.

?

Eleanor McClorey, CEO of youngballymun, said the award is good news, not only for the Ballymun community but also for wider society.

“Once again we are confronted with how poorly we have treated children and parents in the past, particularly the most vulnerable, and we are being challenged to learn the necessary lessons so that we don’t continue to repeat the past,

? she said.

Ms McClorey pointed to the importance of proactively supporting baby and toddler development in the vital first three years of life and in supporting the relationship between parents and their babies. The key message from today is that parents really matter, and that babies and toddlers development really matters,

? she continued.

“This programme is part of a network of services for parents and their babies, (new born to three years old). Today with parents, community services and the HSE we are celebrating the importance of babies and parents in community life.

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Ms McClorey said a secure attachment relationship between infants and their parents is the foundation of healthy social and emotional development throughout life.

“It’s also associated with better outcomes in relation to behaviour, language development, cognition and health,

? she continued.

“If we can commit to services for 0-3s throughout the country then we are truly committing to our children and their future. We are saying the abuses and neglect of the past cannot continue to be repeated.

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In presenting the award, Minister White spoke about the importance of supporting parents from the earliest stage through prevention and early intervention approaches.

“It is an amazing endorsement of the work that the HSE Primary Care team and youngballymun do together,

? he added.

“There are important lessons here from the delivery of PCPS in the context of youngballymun which can be applied in our national policy and practice contexts to support other communities of parents and their infants and toddlers.

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In addition to providing more frequent and in-depth development checks, the Ballymun programme has a particular focus exploring infants’ progress with their parents and offering support to parents regarding their own welfare.

The programme is available to every parent and baby in Ballymun and has an uptake of over 1,300 families.