Parent and Child Support

The Parent and Child Support Service will promote supported and healthy pregnancy and the social and emotional development of infants, toddlers and their families.

The parent and child support service was developed with local partners active in the delivery of ante and post natal support services.

The service design process included outreach consultations with young parents and research conducted by Dublin City University School of Nursing.  Out of  this work has emerged a new parent and child support service that will be delivered by local service providers, both statutory and community.

The service is underpinned by the following principles:

• Continuity of care – service spans antenatal, birth and infant and toddler parenting
• Inclusive - a parent, child and family-friendly service
• Accessible – available in a variety of locations, and respectful of individual parent’s preferences
• Integration – clear pathways into the service and different parts of the service well connected to each other and to other service providers
• Smooth transitions – the transition from ante-natal supports through birth, from the birth / new born to home and community-based services all coordinated and supportive of the parents and family.

The Parent Support Service aims to support the parent-child relationship during the transition to parenthood and in the period of infancy. The Service also aims to improve access to and uptake of existing community-based and statutory services. It aims to increase the infant health knowledge and expertise within the appropriate organisations and individuals, and thereby enhance their capacity to respond to the needs of parents and children, in the appropriate way and at the appropriate time.