Some pregnant women, (expectant) parents or families are burdened by their current life situation. Perhaps they don't have enough money, perhaps they are facing health challenges. They may also feel overwhelmed, see no prospects or have other problems. What leads to a stressful life situation is as varied as it is individual and can range from conflicts in the partnership or family to forms of marginalisation and discrimination through to mental illness.
Maybe you're in such a difficult situation yourself right now. Or you know a mum or a family who is overwhelmed by everyday life with a baby. Then support is important. This is where early help comes into play. These diverse programmes are tailored to parents and families with young children and provide them with noticeable relief.
What is "early help"?
The local authorities offer various free support services for pregnant women, parents and families with children up to the age of three. The range includes support services, practical outreach help in everyday life and counselling options. The aim is to provide all parents with the help they need as early as possible so that they can enjoy being parents.
- Pregnant women and parents-to-be can turn to a counselling centre with all their questions and concerns about pregnancy, for example. It should be noted that this counselling is "a different pair of shoes" to so-called pregnancy conflict counselling, which is related to the decision about a possible termination of pregnancy.
- Mothers, fathers and parents with children under the age of one can seek advice from a family or parenting advice centre if the adults have problems with each other or with the child.
- When a baby cries incessantly, parents are soon at the end of their tether. Before this happens, they can turn to a crying outpatient clinic.
- Regular home visits from a family mentor can also be a blessing. These are trained volunteers who visit the family on fixed days and relieve them in everyday situations. Specifically, they could help with looking after the baby, for example. Or they could deal with older siblings, including helping with homework if necessary. On request, family mentors can also accompany the family on visits to the authorities or the doctor.
- Support from a counsellor is also very valuable for stressed parents. Family midwife. It can also be utilised as part of the early help services. These "special" colleagues of mine are already in contact with the pregnant woman during pregnancy and help the family until the child's first birthday with tips on how to deal with and care for the baby. The work of family midwives, unlike that of midwives, is paid for by the local authorities. This is why the focus of their work is somewhat different to that of midwives. They therefore complement midwifery assistance.
All of these and many other services are summarised under the term "early help". This has led to the formation of local networks in which various specialists work together to coordinate customised help. These specialists come from the health sector, from child and youth welfare services or belong to the early intervention sector.
Who can I contact?
If you would like support in any form, you can turn to various organisations where you can get help. One option is, of course, to speak to your midwife. She will be able to give you information about local early help services and may also be able to put you in touch with specific contacts.
You can also contact any pregnancy counselling centre or family counselling centre, they will be there for you. The same applies to maternity and family centres.
Other contacts who can help you further can also be your gynaecologist and your maternity clinic. Your paediatrician is also part of the Early Help network.
In your municipality/municipality, you can contact the municipal social services or the contact point for youth and family counselling as well as the youth welfare office or health department.
However, non-governmental child and youth welfare organisations can also help you. In concrete terms, this means that you can also contact the churches (e.g. Caritas, Diakonie) or various associations (e.g. Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband, Kinderschutzbund, Rotes Kreuz).
Is this really something for me?
Many parents find it difficult to admit to themselves that they feel overwhelmed or overburdened with certain problems. And no matter how much they want support, they may also feel uncomfortable if outsiders have an insight into their lives. This means, for example, that a family midwife or a family mentor comes to their home, sees their untidy home, witnesses everyday family life, which is full of obstacles, or even observes how overtired parents are losing their nerve because the baby simply won't sleep. This shame is human. But I would like to reassure you: All the people in Early Help who are in contact with families do not assess the condition of a home or the condition of parents and families. On the contrary - they are there solely to help those affected and to strengthen them so that everything gets better and succeeds better. The professionals do this in a very respectful and always gentle manner, you can rely on that!
When a family in a difficult situation seeks support and accepts help, this is a very important and very courageous step! This will all Family members benefit - the parents, the older siblings and, of course, the baby. The aim of the early help programmes is to intensify the relationship between parents and child, promote parental parenting skills and involve all family members. This should enable the children to develop healthily in a protected and caring environment and to grow up free from violence.
Incidentally, a representative survey of mothers who were supported by a family midwife or other early help professionals showed that almost all of them (94 per cent) were "satisfied" to "very satisfied".
Here you can find out more about early help.
2 responses