Hanneke Torij (applied research professor Midwifery & Childbirth) is involved in work package 4. The main focus here is to properly equip professionals and trained volunteers to work in the district and to create a coherent social network for women to depend on from (before) pregnancy up to the youth care years.
This work package focuses on the improvement of preventive parenting support at neighbourhood level in Rotterdam - that enables early detection (during or prior to pregnancy) of potential parenting problems. Early intervention – in order to prevent or minimise more serious problems in later life – can start before serious problems arise.
The target groups in this work package are:
- Women who are, or want to become, pregnant and need help
- Volunteers. They will be trained in the provision of support in realising a sound network that allows women to buy the necessary items more economically or have contact with other women, for instance.
- Professionals in (childbirth) care
RUAS students will be actively involved and will be administering interviews, for instance, as part of their graduation assignment.
Included in the research part of this work package are focus groups, interviews, questionnaires and a literature review to gain insight in specific needs of the target groups and to gain more knowledge about interventions that have proved to be successful in this context.
The results from the questionnaires, interviews, focus groups and the literature review will be used to improve guidelines and to implement best practices in the specific situation in the Rotterdam districts. The ‘Parent in action’ method developed by the Youth and Family Centre will be used. The key to this method is the low threshold for parents to meet other parents.