Description
When a baby is born prematurely or suffers from a disability, parents often perceive a lack of information, understandable explanations or initial care. Doctors are not obliged to inform parents about early childcare, therefore the loss of time during which it is not possible to provide stimulation of the child´s development and support to the family significantly influences the whole process. This project´s objective is to help families with the upbringing of their disabled children in a natural environment and thus avoiding institutional care. We want to ensure that parents receive immediate support by providing necessary education to doctors when disclosing unfavourable diagnosis through the presence of professionals. In doing so, parents will be immediately informed about services following medical care. Thanks to professional home consultations we can provide the necessary support not only in terms of the child´s development but also for the parents themselves. By organizing our seminars in maternity and elementary schools, we prepare the conditions for the advantageous treatment of children with disabilities.
Summary of project results
The strategic aim of this project was to enable families to bring up their child with a disability at home. It has changed a situation, in which parents miss information after the birth of a disabled child. In seminars for physicians we emphasized the importance of complex support for a family to activate its powers. Physicians received information how to communicate an adverse diagnosis and how to support both partners. We wanted to provide parents with safe surroundings in hospital and to give them information on follow-up social services. We supported the care of a child in home surroundings by specialist consultations tailored to the needs of every family. The project achieved also a secondary goal – to prepare the community for the entrance of children with disabilities to ordinary schools by means of experience workshops for children and teachers. By giving seminars to physicians, we contributed to the prevention of placement of children to institutions. We set up a new information system – parents are informed of follow-up services by a nurse on the neonatal ward who also accompanies them in the critical situation after the birth of a disabled child. Parents receive the leaflet “Was you baby born preterm?” which was created in the project and informs of the possibility to use early intervention. Families consult with an early intervention consultant in hospital and also at home. Workshops at schools became a new instrument to support inclusive education of children with disabilities. The realization of the project has met our expectations. The information on the way of communicating an adverse diagnosis and on follow-up services was given to 44 medical specialists. In hospitals 53 families were informed of follow-up services, a permanent member of the medical team is a nurse trained in the crisis intervention who accompanies families during their stay in hospital. In total, 128 families used the possibility to consult with specialists, 537 times in home surroundings. They have information how to develop their child in the best possible way.
Summary of bilateral results