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Family Nurse Partnership

The Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) is an intensive support programme for girls and women up to age 19 who are pregnant and are sometimes facing a range of difficult circumstances, such as homelessness, social isolation, mental health issues, or unhealthy relationships.

Our Family Nurses build a therapeutic relationship with clients in order to support their transition to parenthood and help young people become the best parents they can be. They focus on every aspect of parenting, from what to expect in pregnancy, infancy and toddlerhood to breastfeeding, smoking cessation, healthy relationships, managing minor illness and reducing accidents, and supporting child development.

The four nurses, a supervisor and a co-ordinator work with colleagues and agencies across the city including GPs, health visitors, midwives, children’s centres, Incredible Years and more, to give the new mums unprecedented one-to-one support until the child is two.

The FNP programme is delivered by the same nurse throughout, she visits every week for the first four weeks in pregnancy, then fortnightly visits until the baby arrives. Following delivery visits happen weekly for six weeks then fortnightly until baby reaches 21 months. At 21 months, visits are reduced until the child reaches its second birthday.

The benefits extend beyond the young mum and her child, reaching the wider community.

Supervisor Fay Cook says: “FNP’s motto is ‘Changing the world, one baby at a time’.  The FNP programme enables parents to give their babies the best start in life whilst also focussing on improving maternal outcomes. Family Nurses work closely with mums to help them recognise their potential  and to achieve their aspirations. We find that sometimes the positive outcomes achieved by FNP clients act as a catalyst for change which influences their wider family and benefits society in general.”

Since the programme began in Plymouth in 2008:

  • 316 mums have joined this specialist service
  • 88% of them have stayed for the duration. Some have left early because they were ready to go.
  • 50% of ‘graduates’ are either back in education, in training or employment.
  • 100% are using contraception at the 12 month point, 69% of them using longer-term reversible contraception
  • 55% of the new mums initiate breastfeeding
  • 100% of the babies are fully immunised at six months, and 91.2% at 12 months Smoking cessation during pregnancy is high.

Contact the team on: 01752 434314

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