The Health Services Authority and the National Parenting Programme are joining forces to provide counselling and guidance for parents, guardians and caregivers in nurturing and developing children.
The special programme matches new parents with experienced parents, hospital staff, community professionals and volunteers to teach child development, safety and wellness, nutrition and other topics of interest to enhance parenting skills.
The organisers are encouraging anyone who is involved with caring for a child to attend the programme, explained Annie-Mae Roffey, specialist services manager at Cayman Islands Hospital.
“We encourage fathers and other caregivers of children to be part of these sessions. It is important that we get everyone involved in the nurturing and development of children, not only mothers.
“The open forum format will also allow dads and others to share their parenting experience and skills with each other. It’s all about helping each other to nurture and develop our children through shared learning experiences,” she said.
The sessions are being held the first and third Tuesday of each month, at 3.30pm in the Women’s Health Centre at the Cayman Islands Hospital.
Ms Roffey said the aims of the programme are:
- To promote the independence and health of families by enhancing parents’ knowledge, skills and confidence.
- To promote the development of non-violent, protective and nurturing environments for children.
- To promote the development, growth, health and social competencies of young children.
- To reduce the incidence of child abuse, mental illness, behavioural problems, delinquency and homelessness.
- To enhance the competence, resourcefulness and self-sufficiency of parents in raising their preadolescent children.
Each meeting lasts about two hours. Topics may include:
- Maternal and paternal nurturing
- Child and play
- How to talk to your newborn
- Disciplining and behaviour modification techniques
- Infant growth and developmental strategies: newborn, infant, pre-schooler and primary school aged.
Presentations will be conducted by Barbara Holmes, a trained parent facilitator of the National Parenting Programme who was a school social worker in Chicago for 12 years and specialized in birth to five year parenting education.
Debbie Webb of the National Parenting Programme explained that the sessions are open to everyone whatever age their children are.
“As much as we might love our children and feel blessed to be parents, parenting provides many of us with our greatest challenges.
“This programme is designed to enable parents to meet those most challenging situations with clarity, ease and love, and to resolve them effectively,” she said.
“This program will change your family forever,” Ms Webb added.
A different topic will be presented each time. The remaining sessions will be held 21 February; 7 March; 21 March; 4 April; and 18 April.
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