creating an appropriate infrastructure scotland

Creating an appropriate infrastructure of services for

those in the transition to parenthood:

What are families offered, what do they want and how can NCT make

sure they get it?

Elizabeth DuffNCT Senior Policy Adviser

Rosie DoddsNCT Senior Policy Adviser

People in the transition to parenthood (TTP) are likely to need services in acute and community health, public health, early education and childcare. Parents also have needs for employment, income, housing, nutrition, transport, goods & equipment for babies, security, social support, leisure, communication and information, all appropriate for themselves and their families.

To lobby for what we know parents want …

NCT provides, offers or stimulates solutions- which meet the needs of politicians, policy makers and service providers - for both short-term successes and long-term benefits - in terms of finance, efficiency and outcomes

Current policy ‘snapshot’

• In economic recession, families have reduced incomes: one in three Scottish households is ‘living in fuel poverty’ impacting especially on parents at home with small children

• Evaluation of ‘Keep Childbirth Natural & Dynamic’ recently published

• Plans for a national survey of women’s experience of maternity care in 2012

• Government developing ‘National Parenting Strategy’ is an

opportunity to infuence 

Involvement of health service users

Families – how do we see them?

NCT’s new strategy – ways of working•Growth – we will continue to increase our reach, both geographic and social, to all parents and expand our postnatal and early years services.•Thought leadership – we will use our position of influence to change the perception of parenthood and create breakthrough solutions to address the dilemmas parents face.•Partnership – to deliver on ambitious targets we will work more formally with other organisations to increase the support available to new parents and expand their availability to reach even more of the population

• Thank you for viewing our workshop Please stay in touch and feed through any news, thoughts and ideas.• Contributions, further information or

thoughts to e_duff@nct.org.uk or r_dodds@nct.org.uk