The Best Possible Start in Life: The Contribution of Educational Psychology Aberdeenshire Educational Psychology Service Aberdeen City Educational Psychology Service NHS Grampian Robert 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 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 Routine Protection 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

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