Childcare professionals could be trained to provide the sympathetic support that new mothers need to give their children a secure start in life. Mary Evans reports
The new children's centres involving inter-disciplinary co-operation between early years teams and health professionals, such as health visitors, could be an effective way to develop vital support for new mothers.
Early years consultant Ann Langston points out that while many of the current childcare qualifications include modules on communication skills and building relationships with parents, the focus is mostly on the needs of the child. 'One of the things that struck me was that listening was something that used to occur as part of the support people had in the community,' she says. 'As children's centres become more integrated, childcare workers will have conduits to the right people. They will be building up relationships with parents and in turn know enough of the structure of the centre to know where there is support.'
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