Children and Young People Committee

1. Providing parents with good quality advice and information.

• Local ‘Children’s Information Services’ have been developed by the Local Authority with a wide range of information on services for children from birth to 19 years.  There is a two way process, health professionals providing information to Children’s Information Services and also directing families to the service.

• Good quality information had been provided by WAG for parents including Birth to Five Books, these are given to parents at the birth visit when the infant is 1o days old.  Further useful information has also been distributed the parents including leaflets on managing behaviour problems.  This provides parents easy to read, illustrated information which is researched based

2. Promoting Positive Parenting

• Several members of the Health Visiting and School Nursing Service have attended the Incredible Years training in Bangor.  Parenting Groups have been set up by the School Nurses including a special school.  Flying Start Health Visitors in Merthyr are developing a rolling programme to parents in the Flying Start areas.  The feedback from parents is positive.

3. Parental Involvement

• Engagement with parents, listening and hearing what they want.

• Providing appropriate information services to parents when they are ready to access them.

• Speak easy programme, providing parents with skills regarding sexual health issues to be rolled out to Merthyr schools by School Nurses.

• Annual Parental Questionnaire provide feedback on the Health Visitor Services.  Adjustments to services have been made following these audits.

• Identify the need for further parental involvement:-

Focus Groups

Services users feedback

4. Joint Planning

• The NSF recognises that the key actions are the responsibility of a number of organisations that will be required to work in partnership to implement the ‘Single Plan’ to address the needs of young people and support parents and carers.

5. Partnership Working and Parental Participation in Schools

• People in Communities’ (PIC) work in partnership with children, young people, parents and carers to maximise the physical, social and emotional well-being of the family.  The School Nurse with the PIC organisation works towards improving better.

• Parents are requested at school entry to complete a questionnaire to provide information on their child’s health.  Parents are given information regarding school health programme.

Parents are asked to give informed consent regarding immunisations and screening programmes.  They are invited to participate at school health assessments and information sharing.