The experiences a young child has with her care givers in the first three years of life are crucial to brain development, subsequent health, academic success and wellbeing over the life course. Studies of group-based parenting programmes have found that disadvantaged families benefit less from early intervention programmes and any benefit seems to dissipate over time, suggesting a need for a more socially sensitive, trusted and sustainable approach to deliver positive parenting messages and support that is embedded in the local community.
In this NIHR-funded Fellowship, Kath is working with colleagues in Action for Children in Devon, exploring the ways in which they are training and supporting volunteers in the community (‘community champions’) to share evidence-based messages with parents to support children’s development. The work focuses on exploring the strategies used to disseminate messages, as well as the broader design of the intervention, its impact, implementation and sustainability.
Collaborator:
Georgina Marks from Action