A Family Support Service
Lifestart actively supports the integration of the Growing Child programme and home-visiting service into various family support structures. This way we can help integrate the Lifestart practice with statutory health promotion and child development/protection goals.
The positive outcomes generated by the evidence-based Growing Child programme delivered through a home visit makes it an attractive option for bodies and agencies acting to promote and support better child development outcomes. The programme works for all families but can have greater impact where there are higher parental support needs.
It can be offered as a universal preventive service and/or an early intervention service targeted at vulnerable families. In some geographical areas it has been integrated into the menu of family support services provided by statutory children and family support service providers and public health bodies.
In such instances it is offered as either:
- a fully targeted service, or
- a partly universal service aimed at first-time parents supported by an early intervention service targeted at the parents of children who may be at risk of experiencing poor outcomes
This latter mode of delivery has the advantage of addressing the vulnerability of first-time parents and those with greater support needs, while eliminating the stigma potentially associated with fully targeted needs-based provision.