The Gravida Healthy Start Workforce Project

 

 

 

 

 

The Gravida Healthy Start Workforce Project

In 2013 Gravida was awarded to develop two new national workforce development programmes that aim to increase the knowledge and confidence of maternity and childcare health professionals to talk to mothers and families about good nutrition and physical activity.

Run on Gravida’s behalf by UniServices, the Gravida Healthy Start Workforce Project is one of several service contracts awarded that focus on improving maternal and child health during pre-conception, pregnancy, postpartum and the early years. These contracts acknowledge the strength of the evidence today that the pre-conditions for non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity can be set during these pre-conception and developmental years and can be directly influenced by factors such as nutrition, breastfeeding and physical activity. They also focus on supporting the good health of the mothers themselves, as they begin the central, life-long role of motherhood.

Recognition of the importance of supporting maternal health, the early years and wider family and whanau is also recognised in the policy recommendations of global organisations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN General Assembly, the World Bank and the NZ Health Select Committee.

Long understood in the stories of generations in many cultures, including ’s own – for example, in Mäori it is known as the concept of hapu ora – now science has provided the evidence.

A healthy start to life – starts with supporting our workforces

Evidence also shows that the keys to shaping and encouraging people’s healthy lifestyle choices are supportive relationships, communities and environments. During pre-conception and the early years, maternity and child healthcare professionals have a special, central and trusted relationship with women and their families/whanau and have the ability to be a part of great change.

Gravida’s project therefore starts at the beginning, supporting these professionals in the invaluable work they do and actively trying to bridge the gap between research and the frontline. To do this, Gravida has partnered with the NZ College of Midwives, Plunket, Tipu Ora and the Heart Foundation and a wider group of advisors including Pacific, Maori, South Asian and health promotion representatives. The programmes will launch in 2015 and aim to complement the other successful kaupapa approaches, training and education initiatives already in place for these organisations.

 

 

 

 

Who can register?

The Gravida Healthy Start Workforce Project’s programmes will initially be offered to midwives, Well Child/Tamariki Ora providers including Plunket, and midwifery leaders within DHBs in 2015. In future years, the programmes will be opened up to wider groups such as health promotion/whanau ora providers, GPs and practice nurses as well as staff of other NGOs and support services such as early childhood education centres, parenting centres and private dietitians.

What is being developed?

The Healthy Start Workforce Project consists of two complementary professional development programmes: one a 'behaviour change skills' training programme (providing the ‘how’) and the other an education programme that will cover new and updated scientific evidence, as well as translation of ’s official guidelines (the ‘what’). Together these two programmes aim to increase not only a person’s knowledge and skills, but also their confidence, self awareness and enjoyment talking about it.

Healthy Conversation Skills training

Healthy Conversations Skills (HCS) training teaches invaluable skills a maternity or child healthcare professional can practice every day with their clients – supporting women and families to plan their own solutions that fit their lives. HCS training shows frontline and support staff how to create opportunities to discuss health behaviours, use open discovery questions to better understand a client or family’s situation, listen, reflect and set goals.

HCS training was developed by Southampton University’s MRC Epidemiology Lifecourse Unit and has been adapted for use in . Several different formats of the training will be available from 2015. Train-the-trainer accreditation will also be offered, providing a sustainable training option for organisations with wide regional or rural membership.

Healthy Start Education programme

The Gravida Healthy Start Education programme will be one of the first courses in the world to offer a full review of the breadth of knowledge now amassed in the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) field, focusing specifically on the influences of nutrition, breastfeeding and physical activity and how they can affect and shape the health of women and children. It will also relate these scientific concepts back to current Ministry of Health guidelines, and help maternity and child healthcare professionals to translate ideal health recommendations into everyday, practical advice, tools and resources.

The Healthy Start Education programme will be available in both face-to-face workshop and online blended learning formats.

Online resources and community

Both programmes will be backed by an online hub where registered maternity and child healthcare providers can access online versions of the education modules as well as read and share best practice advice, the latest news and academic research papers, as well as find handy links to other national health resource sites.

Evaluation

The project will include a thorough evaluation process including publication of academic papers on its effectiveness. More information is available on request.

Register here

The Healthy Conversations Skills training programme, the Healthy Start Education programme and the online hub are all due to open for registrations in late 2014. To pre-register your interest and receive a bi-monthly newsletter alerting you to developments, .

Find out more about our team.

Find out more about Gravida’s early years research.

 

 

 

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