Family Nurses work with young parents up to 19-years-old and stay with them for two years to help them have a healthy pregnancy, and to give their babies the best possible start in life.
After its initial launch and success, the programme expanded to cover Hampshire and now sees over 180 clients. The majority of these referrals are for 15-16-year-olds and come from areas such as Gosport, Havant, Andover and Basingstoke.
Current FNP client Victoria, 21, from Andover, said: “My family nurse is really understanding and never makes me feel judged. She is always here to listen.”
Family Nurses cover many topics during their visits about maternal and infant health and wellbeing. Over the last decade, the most common themes nurses have focused on with young parents have been bonding and looking after their baby, healthy relationships, finances, parental trauma, mental health, learning needs, housing, and domestic abuse.
Current client Olivia, 17, from Andover, said: “I like having family nurse visits because I enjoy knowing my son is thriving and any concerns I have, (my nurse) Jodie will help me through them and support me.”
Sam Parkinson and Vicki Pennal, Hampshire Family Nurse Partnership Supervisors said: “We are often able to support mothers to make significant small changes or big positive changes which is very rewarding and can lead to good outcomes for them and their child. This frequently extends to fathers, who we always try to engage with, as well as the wider family too.
“Due to increased numbers of referrals the team has evolved and expanded from when it was first put together 10 years ago to cover the whole of Hampshire. This is a challenge, but we are delighted to offer this evidence-based programme to young mothers who benefit from it throughout the county.”
Reflecting on her decade in the Partnership, Family Nurse, Sian Kemp, said: “This job can be wonderful, fun, and heart-breaking. I often had visits which involved the whole family, the Nan and Grandad who listened from the kitchen door to the discussion on checking breasts and testicles. Another time a whole family were dragged in from the garden by a Nan during the chat on breastfeeding, because ‘she never heard this when she was pregnant’. Every possible space was filled with dogs, aunties and cousins dressed in towels and swimming gear joining in and asking questions.
“At the heart of this programme are the clients. Amazing young people who have been generous and accepting of these nurses who turned up for appointments in homes, coffee shops, on park benches (especially during COVID) and even at street corners.”
In England, recent evidence from the Building Blocks Study indicates that the benefits of the Programme include improved children's levels of school readiness and increased reading scores for all FNP children at Key Stage 1.
Evaluation, including a six-year follow-up study, shows that FNP improves child development, school readiness and early education outcomes for the children of young parents. Indicators of effectiveness include improved maternal self-efficacy, improved child development and school readiness at age five, and improved school attainment at age seven.