Love Your Children……. for the sake of their brains

Nurture and Love Your Children……. for the sake of their brains

Neglect breeds neglect reminds a Christchurch based social services organisation the day an American child psychologist arrives in town.

Dr Bruce Perry’s internationally recognised research has found that the brain development of children who are not given love and attention in a safe environment, can be affected leading to a host of mental and physical problems. Dr Perry says early intervention is the key to breaking cycles of dysfunction within families, which is the main focus of services run by The Family Help Trust.

The Trust successfully works with at-risk children in high-risk families, teaching new skills to parents which are then passed on to the children, breaking a cycle of dysfunction. The key is getting in before a child is 5 years old, (preferably before birth), and working long term in their own home.

Trust Clinical Services Manager, Bill Pringle, says there must be more emphasis placed on effective, intensive early intervention programmes, and early intervention means early.

“Over the last few years we have heard a great deal about how important early intervention is, however that is often defined as any time before a child is 10 or 11. That’s too late as evidenced by Dr Perry’s research,” he says.

It’s not a new idea – New Zealand’s Roper Report in 1987 identified that early childhood intervention is one of the keys to lowering New Zealand’s rates of crime and childhood abuse.

“Looking at the news yesterday relating to an increase in violent crime, I would have thought research like that becomes even more important. The Roper Report found that 80% of all violence was family based or in the home and identified family violence as "the cradle for the perpetration of violence and crime in the community",” says Bill Pringle.

Early intervention and prevention is the key to the success of the Trust’s work and the amazing outcomes they have seen over the years in their client families.

The FHT team of six social workers, trust director Libby Robins, Bill Pringle and board member Alison Wilkie, will be attending Dr Bruce Perry’s sold out seminar in Christchurch tomorrow.

Nurture and Love Your Children……. for the sake of their brains

Neglect breeds neglect reminds a Christchurch based social services organisation the day an American child psychologist arrives in town.

Dr Bruce Perry’s internationally recognised research has found that the brain development of children who are not given love and attention in a safe environment, can be affected leading to a host of mental and physical problems. Dr Perry says early intervention is the key to breaking cycles of dysfunction within families, which is the main focus of services run by The Family Help Trust.

The Trust successfully works with at-risk children in high-risk families, teaching new skills to parents which are then passed on to the children, breaking a cycle of dysfunction. The key is getting in before a child is 5 years old, (preferably before birth), and working long term in their own home.

Trust Clinical Services Manager, Bill Pringle, says there must be more emphasis placed on effective, intensive early intervention programmes, and early intervention means early.

“Over the last few years we have heard a great deal about how important early intervention is, however that is often defined as any time before a child is 10 or 11. That’s too late as evidenced by Dr Perry’s research,” he says.

It’s not a new idea – New Zealand’s Roper Report in 1987 identified that early childhood intervention is one of the keys to lowering New Zealand’s rates of crime and childhood abuse.

“Looking at the news yesterday relating to an increase in violent crime, I would have thought research like that becomes even more important. The Roper Report found that 80% of all violence was family based or in the home and identified family violence as "the cradle for the perpetration of violence and crime in the community",” says Bill Pringle.

Early intervention and prevention is the key to the success of the Trust’s work and the amazing outcomes they have seen over the years in their client families.

The FHT team of six social workers, trust director Libby Robins, Bill Pringle and board member Alison Wilkie, will be attending Dr Bruce Perry’s sold out seminar in Christchurch tomorrow.

familyhelptrust.org.nz

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