Family Nurse Partnership

The purpose of the service is to improve the health of new parents and their infants, help them access support from other services and to support them in meeting their goals and aspirations.  

The therapeutic relationship built also supports new parents to overcome adverse life experiences and helps them give their child the best start to life possible.

FNP is for first-time young mothers aged 19 and first-time young mothers who are 20-24 years old if they have one or more of the following vulnerabilities:

• Care leaver/looked after at any time in childhood.
• History of significant safeguarding issues.
• Current serious mental health issues.
• Substance misuse.
• Learning needs.

The aim is to give all babies a better start, regardless of  any disadvantages in their family circumstances.

FNP builds a supportive relationship with the family, using in-depth methods, to work with young parents on attachment, relationships and psychological preparation for parenthood. With a positive, optimistic and strength-based approach, FNP works with teen mums and their babies to effect behaviour change in the following areas:

• Personal health (substance use and mental wellbeing).
• Environmental health (homelessness and residential instability).
• Life course (maternal education and work).
• Maternal role (caregiving attitudes and behaviours).
• Family and friends (unsafe family/ friends network, relationships).
• Access to services (engagement with social care/ use of children's centres/sexual health services).

Visits usually last between one hour to one and a half hours, though the service is tailored to the client's individual needs. Regular assessments through discussion and observation are used to ensure that the work is a real partnership between the client and Family Nurse. 

• A healthy pregnancy
• Help planning your future.
• Improve child's health and development
• Safeguarding: Reduced childhood injuries
• School readiness: Improved language development
• Maximise cognitive development
• School performance: Emotional/behavioural regulation