Parental Expectations of Maternal and Child Health Services

Abstract

This article reports on a survey research (N = 1418) aimed at examining whether parental expectations of maternal and child health (MCH) services are influenced by group characteristics (e.g. SES, ethnicity, at-risk-of-poverty) and/or individual parenting context variables (e.g. received social support) in a context where these services are available to all. The findings reveal that parents have different expectations about the technical and relational expertise of MCH nurses. However, we found only very weak associations between family characteristics and parental expectations, suggesting that individual differences matter more than SES and other more traditional distinctions. Implications for MCH services are made.

Families with young children in times of economic downturn: Implications for social work practice

“…To avoid selection bias, the parents in this study were recruited through the infant consultation schemes of Kind & Gezin, as previous research indicated that this social service reaches 92.4% of parents in Flanders and 96% in Limburg, including ethnic minorities, single parents, parents in poverty and even parents without legal papers (Bradt, Vandenbroeck, Lammertyn, & Bouverne‐De Bie, ; Kind & Gezin [Child and Family], ). Parents were recruited and selected purposefully.…”

Supporting (Super)Diversity in Early Childhood Settings

“…First, this is in tension with population studies on the need for support. To give but one example, a large-scale survey on a representative sample of 1219 parents in Belgium (Bradt et al, 2015) showed that parental worries, expectations of support or perceived support are hardly moulded by traditional characteristics, including ethnicity, socio-economic status, marital status, employment status or a combination of these. While there certainly are differences in expectations and needs, these are much more individual matters than can be sociologically defined.…”