WACHS gives young mums a helping hand
THE Australian Nurse-family Partnership Program (ANFPP) at Wellington Aboriginal Corporation Health Service (WACHS) is making a difference to the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies.
ANFPP works with first time Mums having an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander baby, who live in Dubbo, Wellington, Narromine and Gilgandra.
Almost 70 clients have graduated from ANFPP, which accepts referrals for women prior to their 26th week of pregnancy, and works with them until the child turns two.
“The Program has recently graduated three clients who joined the ANFPP in January 2015, holding a ceremony at the Buninyong Schools as Community Centre,” said WACHS CEO Darren Ah See.
“Our clients come from a variety of backgrounds, and range from young women still attending school, to those who have completed university study,” he said.
Clients are allocated a Nurse Home Visitor and Aboriginal Family Partnership Worker, who visit them in the home, or an alternative location. They work with the client to provide support and education to improve health, build on parenting skills, and work towards life goals.
“Some of the successes achieved locally include many clients who reduce, or quit, smoking in pregnancy; and clients who break the cycle of child removal by successfully parenting their own child, when they had been removed as children themselves, or following previous children being removed,” said Mr Ah See.
“The ANFPP team are there for the clients to set goals and start taking steps to achieve them, such as getting a drivers licence, commencing study, changing jobs, or moving.”
The five client centred principles that the Program is based on result in each and every client celebrating some successes, no matter how small. These principles are: follow you heart’s desire; you are the expert in your own life; focus on solutions; focus on strengths; and only a small change is necessary.
For more information on the Australian Nurse Family Partnership Program visit www. wachs.net.au