Early aids

Early aids are offers from the beginning. They are aimed at parents from pregnancy onwards and families with children up to the age of 3. The support includes practical help, advice, mediation and accompaniment. Parents can take advantage of the services if they wish. They are free of charge and easy to obtain.

EARLY HELPS PROVIDE FIT SUPPORT WHEN ...

.

• You feel alone in caring for your child
.
• You feel like everything is too much for you right now.
• You are unsure about raising your child.
• You have questions about your child's development.
• You feel tired because your child cries a lot.
• You are afraid that you can not adequately care for your child.
• there are conflicts in the partnership.

Don't be afraid to ask for support. The sooner you get help, the more likely you are to get relief.

PARTNERS' STARTUP

.

In every municipality there are contact points for parents in the early help system. They guide those affected to the help they need. These contact points can be different institutions: Early Help Centers, family offices, parenting advice centers, parent cafés, etc.

contact points in the youth welfare offices

In addition, there is a responsible contact person for early help in every youth welfare office: the Early Help Network Coordinator. She takes care of the local Early Help Network, which brings together professionals from child and youth welfare, health care, and pregnancy counseling and early support.

FEDERAL NETWORK

.

The Network Coordination and the Early Help Network work to continuously assess the needs of expectant parents and families with young children and to further develop the landscape of services for them.

The offers of early help are diverse and can be different in the respective municipality (city or county). All offers are free of charge and voluntary. The following support services and contact points are (almost) widespread:

pregnancy counseling

.

If problems and worries prevail after you have become aware of your pregnancy and you feel uncertain, you can turn to a pregnancy counseling center. There you can get help and answers to all your questions about pregnancy, birth and the first years of your child's life. The counselors are bound by confidentiality and treat all information confidentially. Pregnant women in financial need can also receive financial assistance through pregnancy counseling centers.

FAMILY AND EDUCATION COUNSELING OFFICES

.

If you want support for your family life together or for the upbringing of your child, you will find trustworthy contact persons in family and educational counseling centers.

WELCOME VISITS

.

Almost all municipalities in NRW offer a welcome visit to parents with newborns. The aim of the visit is to congratulate the parents on the birth, inform them about the family-relevant services and points of contact in the parents' place of residence, and, depending on their needs, discuss certain questions of the families in more detail. In most municipalities, specialists from the youth welfare office or an independent child and youth welfare organization visit the families; in some, volunteers take on this task.

The welcome visit offers parents the opportunity to clarify many questions that arise in the first weeks after the birth: Where can I meet other parents? Where can I attend a baby food cooking class? How can I get a daycare place? And much more.

The visitors inform compactly. And if questions do not clarify themselves in the discussion or a further support need exists, suitable contact persons or assistance can be arranged.

THE HEALTH ORIENTED FAMILY GUIDANCE

.

Caring and caring for the baby, the new role as parents, organizing the living situation and household, coping with changes in partnership, training, school and employment. In this situation, it is important to get concrete and practical support in everyday life from the beginning.

This is what family midwives and family health and pediatric nurses can provide. While midwives can usually accompany a family for up to 3 months, these specially trained health professionals have the opportunity to care for families for much longer, advising and supporting parents on the care and feeding of the baby, their relationship with the child, and the organization of everyday life with an infant.

FAMILY PATIENTS

.

Grandparents live far away, you've just moved to the city, or everyday family life is bursting at the seams: There can be many reasons why parents feel alone and want relief. This is where family sponsors can help.

They work on a voluntary basis and can provide parents with a break or undisturbed time with their newborn by taking over childcare, helping with shopping and errands, and networking the family with other agencies in the place of residence (daycare center, family education, sports club, church community, etc.).

PARENTS' CHILDREN'S TEAM

.

Parent-child meetings or parent cafés can be found in various facilities, e.g. in family centers or district centers. There you can exchange ideas with other parents in an uncomplicated and informal way. Perhaps you will also get to know mothers and fathers who are in the same situation as you. Then you can support each other. Your child can play with other children there.

HELP WHEN YOUR CHILD CRIES A LOT

.

If your child cries a lot and is difficult to calm down, you can get help. In all municipalities, you can find advice and help from family midwives, family health and pediatric nurses, or counseling centers. In many communities there are even special "crying ambulances". Addresses of crying outpatient clinics in your area can be found in the "Search crying outpatient clinics".

PARENTING COURSES

.

There are a variety of different class formats parents can take to help their children grow, feel more confident in parenting, and meet other parents. For detailed info, see the post about baby classes

.