NSPCC have recently published their latest report, sharing insights and learning from adapting a face-to-face perinatal peer support service to a virtual service.
It highlights how the wellbeing of parents is “critically important to children’s development and outcomes” and explores how their Baby Steps programme (an evidence based perinatal education and support programme) promotes this through the development of positive parent-infant relationships.
Baby Steps is delivered by midwives, health visitors and family support workers, however, it shares a lot of similarities to peer support initiatives through its emphasis on building trusting relationships (practitioner and parent), social networking with other parents and their focus on wellbeing.
Making for interesting reading, the NSPCC confirms a lot of our own experiences in adapting their programme delivery, in particular:
- Virtual support has clear benefits in terms of reaching underserved communities or those who find face-to-face a barrier to accessing support. Some families simply prefer virtual delivery.
- On the flip side, some parents miss the social support side from face-to-face. Whilst virtual groups can provide some networking opportunities, it is not as effective in enabling parent peer relationships to develop.
- IT poverty can also be a barrier for some parents. Hence, virtual delivery can never solely replace face-to-face.
Also of note was their recognition to further develop ‘an effective community of practice’. Celia Suppiah, CEO of Parents 1st UK, identified this need a few years ago understanding that this would offer fantastic opportunities for peer support initiatives to grow, develop and adapt to changing circumstances, creating a rich tapestry of shared learning and experience. The Parents 1st UK website therefore aims to do exactly this.