Getting it right from the start.

The Family Nurse Partnership programme, which supports first-time mothers aged 19 or under with home visits, has been rolled out to more than 130 local authority areas over the past seven years – and is expected to hit the government’s target of reaching 16,000 young mothers this month. Each family nurse visits up to 25 mothers, mostly referred from maternity services, once a week. The nurses work in teams of six to eight, with a supervisor who meets with them for an hour a week for feedback and education. The same nurse keeps in touch with each woman from early pregnancy – ideally 16 weeks – until the child is aged two. Nurses who have joined the scheme are mostly former midwives, health visitors, paediatric nurses or mental health nurses who undergo around 16 weeks’ training. The programme’s clinical director Ann Rowe calls it a GETTING IT RIGHT FROM THE START