Parent satisfaction with early parenting residential services: A telephone interview study

Abstract

Early parenting residential units provide a child and family health support and education service for parents experiencing parenting difficulties. An ongoing concern of nursing staff and management is whether the parenting knowledge and skills gained are translated into sustainable parenting practices after discharge. This paper explores the response to a post discharge telephone interview about parents' experience of nursing care during their residential stay and their parenting experience since discharge. A descriptive qualitative approach identified four themes in the parents' responses: greater confidence, greater knowledge about their babies, changing expectations of parenting and their infants, and sustainability of parenting skills.

Characteristics, trends, co-admissions and service needs of women admitted to residential parenting services in the year following birth in NSW

“…11 Even though these women are identified as socially and economically advantaged they may still lack the social support necessary to develop the confidence in their ability to parent while adjusting to the parenting role and changes in lifestyle that occurs with motherhood. 22 Social isolation or perceived lack of social support has a significant impact on parenting. 23 Social support from partner, family and friends appeared to be the most significant in assisting mothers develop maternal competence and lowering anxiety.…”

Working with complexity: experiences of caring for mothers seeking residential parenting services in New South Wales, Australia

“…Primary carers, usually the mother, of infants and young children can access these services for a residential overnight inpatient admission to gain intervention and support for parenting problems and concerns (Fowler et al . ,b). These services provide a referral pathway for the main carers who are experiencing parenting difficulties with their otherwise well infants or young children, requiring a short‐term admission to a RPS (Hanna & Rolls , Don et al .…”

“…On admission, infant‐related problems are regularly identified as an outcome of maternal (paternal) knowledge and skills deficits, or maternal mental health concerns including distress, depression and anxiety (Rowe & Fisher , Fowler et al . ,b).…”

“…The nurses take the overall responsibility for the admission with the physician role limited to identification or elimination of any physical illness in the infant, or if referred by the nurses, assessment of the mental state of the parent (usually the mother) (Fowler et al . ,b). Over the past two decades, the nurses have worked to reshape the nursing models of care to be strengths and relationship‐based, enabling the nurse to work collaboratively with parents and families (Fowler et al .…”

“…Over the past two decades, the nurses have worked to reshape the nursing models of care to be strengths and relationship‐based, enabling the nurse to work collaboratively with parents and families (Fowler et al . ,b). This was an important clinical practice shift moving from an expert model of nursing practice to a more relational based model (Fowler et al .…”