1. Family Support in Infancy
Braunton Children’s Centre at RMB
Chivenor
Presentation to SCSN conference
10th
October 2013
Diane Pedley
Children’s Service Manager
Diane.pedley@actionforchildren.org.uk
Anne Bradley
Children’s Centre Lead
Anne.bradley@actionforchildren.org.uk

2. Outline
• More detail of what we provide through the
child and family journey with the Children’s
Centre (CC) and copies of presentation in the
pack
• Importance of attachment
• Role of CC practice
• Supporting military community families – how
extra amazing they are working in partnership

3. Importance of early infant
attachment
• Attachment theory is one of the most popular and
empirically grounded theories relating to parenting.
• Bowlby believed that the earliest bonds formed by
children with their caregivers have a tremendous
impact that continues throughout life.
• The central theme of attachment theory is that
primary caregivers who are available and responsive to
an infant's needs allow the child to develop a sense of
security, which creates a secure base for the child to
then explore the world.

4. Why bother with the emphasis?
• Children who are securely attached as infants tend to
develop stronger self- esteem and better self-reliance as
they grow older. These children also tend to be more
independent, perform better in school, have successful
social relationships, and experience less depression and
anxiety.
• Research from previous SCSN conferences shares the
service children's experience and the need for
professionals to understand and respond well to potential
impacts on their social and emotional development.
• There are 4/5 years of existence before school in which to
develop the resilience to make challenges less impacting
for children and families in key transition times of moving
and separation.

5. Relevance to military families
• By the nature of the organisation in which
they exist, military families have more
experiences that could influence bonding and
attachment than other families
• Stress on separation during pregnancy
3 occasions including a
3month period abroad 3 days after arriving on base
when 28 weeks pregnant
Alone for
2 months
In the early stages
of pregnancy away
for 6 months

6. Feelings on separation
• “emotional found it difficult the base being
a distance from family..”
• “Found it difficult to access health
services”
• “sister in law on the base was able to offer
support”
• “having the Children’s Centre with the
Health Visitor there important..”

7. During baby's first year
• Husband currently away until Christmas, due to go on training in
Norway in January. Expecting another baby in April. Talking about
daddy every day.
• “hard with two children” establishing a routine, having no pattern
when husband returns, “the children ignore him and don’t feel so
attached “.
• “having a routine during the day….. baby is teething at night, they
miss their dad and are up at night…”
• Parent shared that picking up her husband from Brize Norton as
“the best and worst day of my life” Described her baby as being
hysterical when seeing dad for the first time . Initially the baby
wouldn’t go to him, let him feed or change her etc., took a long time
for the family to adjust

8. How the Children’s Centre
might support families
• Support in the antenatal period in
understanding what parent and baby need to
achieve a good bond.
• Support in understanding the elements of
attachments in a world of change for the early
infant
• Provide family support to help with the
general and specific issues military families
may face.

9. Children’s Centre approaches are
evidence based/ informed
Antenatal course
and 1:1
Baby Massage
course and 1:1
Here’s Looking at
You Baby suite of
courses and 1:1
Solihull
Parenting
Course and
1:1
THRIVE ftc
with day care
setting of child

10. What difference does it make
• Bit tricky for us to know for sure because of families
transient experiences - tracking of impact difficult
• Can have some confidence as evidence informed
approaches used
• Ofsted told us Parents describe the “immense involvement of the
centre that has helped to make a huge improvement financially, socially
and knocked the edge off their isolation”
• Families feedback – Dad’s CD “good, brilliant –soothed
the boys hearing his voice – wanted it on all the time. Communication was
difficult often calls were cut off “hearing his voice made them happy”
“seeing them happy made me happy ”

11. Working in partnership
Supporting families to be the best they can is team
work
•Parent rep meetings/ Open mornings
•Welfare Unit – developing and building links
•Relationship with Health: midwives and health visitors,
school nurse’s and CC team (BYCPT)
•Relationship with Education: learning community,
feeder schools, parent support advisor
•Relationships preschools and settings including child
minders – free resource library (SEAL box on separation
and loss)

12. Contact Details
Braunton Children’s Centre
c/o My Start Children’s Centre
Marlborough Road
Ilfracombe
Devon
EX34 8JL
Tel: 01271 865825
ssccnd@actionforchildren.org.uk
www.braunton.childrencentre.org