The Best Possible Start in Life: The Contribution of Educational Psychology
Aberdeenshire Educational Psychology Service Aberdeen City Educational Psychology Service
NHS GrampianRobert Gordon’s University
Overview
Setting the Context – Nationally and Locally What are we hoping to achieve? How will we achieve this? Planned evaluation / follow-up SOAR
Context
National Early Years Task Force Pre-birth to 3 Scottish Antenatal Parent Education Pack (core syllabus
and resources)
Locally NHS Grampian Maternity Strategy 2010-2015 Aberdeenshire - EL&L Service Plan Aberdeen City - change fund money – attachment focus
The Issue
Antenatal classes in Grampian: Staff confidence, time protection Volume of participants, impersonal in the city,
personal in the shire We know, we have attended They know, they deliver them Resource Pack – insufficient?
The story so far
Antenatal Education Planning Group – NHS Grampian – class plan
Aberdeenshire – piecemeal work with parents around communication and attachment
Aberdeen City – Service Improvement Plan Joining up of services Negotiation of role with wider group
What do we want to achieve?
Bring educational psychology to the universal work of midwifes and health visitors
Preventative, proactive, strategic Improve early attachments Explicit shared knowledge & focus Improve first parental experience of
‘professionals’
How will we achieve this?
Established relationship with NHS Grampian Contributing to the planning and
implementation of antenatal education programme: Planning Event ‘The Best Start in Life’ Oct 2012 Local follow-up sessions
The Best Start in Life Event
Aim: to use language and activities which could be used in antenatal classes with all parents
Attachment Early communication Infant brain development Adult learning theory Forward planning using PCOP
Workshops
3 Workshops will be delivered to all participants covering Attachment, Brain Development and Communication
Each workshop contains both theory and practical learning opportunities
Our emphasis is on giving time for the Midwives to reflect on their work with expectant parents in relation to the theory and information they were assimilating.
Attachment Workshop
Participants will cover the basics of attachment including Bowlby, models of healthy attachment, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Film of good attachments highlighting turn taking, social behaviours, self regulation, language development and so on.
Activities include building the wall of development – something they could use with antenatal groups.
The Wall of Development
Wall of Development
Security
RoutineProtection
Play
Stimulation
Trust
Communication Workshop
To focus on verbal and non verbal communication – in utero and after birth
To demonstrate video as a tool which can be used to support parents’ communication with their child
Infants are born ready to be a social being, to interact, to communicate
Parents have the skills to develop their child’s communication….
Holding and enjoying baby are the best tools to begin the development of his social brain
Principles for Developing Attunement
Being Attentive
Encouraging initiatives
Receiving initiatives
Attuned interaction
Scaffolding
Giving Guidance
Brain Development Workshop
To give an overview of the basic brain structure
The baby brain – some facts and figures and how it is a “social” brain
Connections Plasticity – ‘people are made not born’ Mind set
Adult Learning and Future Planning
The participants will be given time in small groups organised by geographical location to consider how they will incorporate what they have learned from the workshops into their antenatal classes.
We will introduce the PATH to them and facilitate them to work through this.
• • •
Goals
Where are you now?
Who supports you with this?
What will be your first steps?
What are your strengths?
PATH
Planned Evaluation
Parent satisfaction ratings Follow-up of action plans Event evaluation
Group Activity
In small groups What are the strengths, opportunities,
aspirations & results of working in this way? Do we prioritise this work? At the expense
of…? Feedback
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nem0bkErGVY&feature=related
