Early support services are available to parents from pregnancy onwards and to families with children up to the age of three. They are low-threshold and are particularly aimed at families in stressful situations.
The services aim to strengthen parents’ relationship and parenting skills. They offer parents support, advice and guidance. The goal is to enable every child to develop healthily and grow up free of violence.
Early intervention services come from various systems, especially child and youth welfare, health care, early intervention and pregnancy counseling. Professionals from these fields work closely together to support parents in the care and promotion of their children. They are coordinated in local networks.
The overarching goal of the National Center for Early Intervention (NZFH) is to improve the developmental opportunities of children, especially those from families under stress, as early as possible and in a sustainable manner. Of central importance is the networking of health care services, child and youth services and other relevant actors in early prevention, such as pregnancy counseling and early intervention.
Early support aims at parents from pregnancy onwards and families with children up to the age of three. The NZFH supports institutions and professionals in developing needs-based services, especially for families in stressful life situations. In this way, it helps to enforce children’s rights to protection, support and social participation.