Nurses to protect young kids

GEELONG maternal and child health nurses will be trained to help protect young children from trauma, thanks to a new statewide program to be delivered by Deakin University in partnership with the Royal Women’s Hospital.

The Australian-first program, called MERTIL ( My Early Relational Trauma Informed Learning), will upskill Victoria’s 1300 maternal and child health nurses — frontline workers who regularly monitor children in their first years — to take appropriate action to recognise and respond to parents and young kids impacted by all kinds of trauma.

The program will be led by two of Australia’s foremost infant trauma experts, Jennifer McIntosh, from Deakin’s Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, and Louise Newman, the director of the Royal Women’s Hospital’s Centre for Women’s Mental Health.

The program will be rolled out between June and November, supported by an additional 17 expert advisers.

Professor McIntosh said the program would train maternal and child health nurses in trauma informed practice.

“This work will grow nurses’ ability and confidence to detect any nature of trauma that’s severely affecting a caregiver’s ability to be responsive to their child,” Professor McIntosh said.

“This includes but extends beyond family violence, to include care-giving trauma related to mental illness, grief and substance abuse, as well as a special focus on at-risk populations like parents who are homeless, refugees or teenagers.” MERTIL will operate as an online portal, including online learning modules.