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Description
The ever-increasing number of reports of possible violence against children, growing social exclusion, child development problems confirm that the way to solve problems by eliminating consequences rather than causes is not efficient. Taking into account the lack of complex services oriented on to prevention rather than elimination of the issues, Public Institution Centro Poliklinika has initiated the project to increase the availability of primary personal health care services by improving prevention and reducing health inequalities. The task of the project is to improve the infrastructure of the Public Institution Centro Poliklinika by acquiring targeted vehicles and medical equipment required for the provision of early family visits, training project specialists to apply early interventions during family visits and providing early interventions services to families. At least 50 target group families will directly benefit from this project during the project implementation period and at least 50 target group families per year – during the project continuity period. The indirect beneficiaries of the project are the children of the target group families and the specialists who will visit families. The project is expected to increase the number of breastfed babies, the number of babies vaccinated, reduce the number of pregnant women who smoke or consume alcohol during pregnancy and the number of second pregnancies before the first child turns two years old; children''s physical development will improve; parental care and emotional communication skills will improve; the number of families at social risk will decrease; the number of cases of violence against children will fall as will the number of hospitalizations. The project will implement activities specified in section 7.2 of the Guidelines. The project is non-profit. It is initiated to fulfil public interests.
Summary of project results
The ever-increasing number of reports of possible violence against children, growing social exclusion, child development problems confirm that the way to solve problems by eliminating consequences rather than causes is not efficient. Taking into account the lack of complex services oriented on to prevention rather than elimination of the issues, Public Institution Centro Poliklinika has initiated the project "Increasing the availability of primary personal health care services by providing early family care services to families based on the application of early interventions ", which aims to increase the availability of primary personal health care services by improving prevention and reducing health inequalities. The task of the project is to improve the infrastructure of the Public Institution Centro Poliklinika by acquiring targeted vehicles and medical equipment required for the provision of early family visits, training project specialists to apply early interventions during family visits and providing early interventions services to families. At least 50 target group families will directly benefit from this project during the project implementation period and at least 50 target group families per year – during the project continuity period. The indirect beneficiaries of the project are the children of the target group families and the specialists who will visit families. The project is expected to increase the number of breastfed babies, the number of babies vaccinated, reduce the number of pregnant women who smoke or consume alcohol during pregnancy and the number of second pregnancies before the first child turns two years old; children''s physical development will improve; parental care and emotional communication skills will improve; the number of families at social risk will decrease; the number of cases of violence against children will fall as will the number of hospitalizations. The project will implement activities specified in section 7.2 of the Guidelines. The project is non-profit. It is initiated to fulfil public interests.
The project provided support and improved information to expectant mothers during pregnancy, after childbirth and up to the age of 2 years. High-quality early intervention services were provided to help mothers make informed decisions about childcare to ensure the well-being of vulnerable mothers, infants and children up to 2 years of age.
For this purpose, the job 2 positions of Family Visitation Specialist was created. Using the "Nurse and Family Partnership" program, a model of providing family visits and early intervention services was developed and implemented in the Vilnius city municipality during the project.
Specialists of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences helped the Family Visitation specialist to acquire "soft" competences, allowing to provide primary preventive intervention to at-risk families throughout the project implementation period, and also advised him periodically during supervisions.
Target groups of the project: young (under 21) and older (over 40) women who are pregnant for the first time, living in a social risk environment, as well as their children under 2, other family members, community, society. During the implementation of the project, 50 women who were pregnant and gave birth in the Vilnius city municipality were regularly visited, giving preference to those living in the countryside. Services are provided by two family visiting specialists, working with a 2.0 full-time workload. 2 cars, tools and equipment needed to provide services were purchased with project funds. Preventive assistance was provided to those families, they were constantly monitored and counseled. Women were taught how to take care of their health and hygiene, take care of children, and lead a healthier life. The state of health of the mother and the baby or the child, as well as the child''s development, were periodically assessed.