This afternoon two new exciting national Traveller child health resources were launched in Pavee Point.
The first Traveller-specific ‘My Child: 0 to 2 years’ resource was launched. This national resource was developed through a partnership between Pavee Point and the HSE National Healthy Childhood Programme.
The HSE MyChild resource, adapted by Traveller women for Traveller women, aims to support Traveller families through the initial stages of parenthood – from newborn to 2 years old. Along with the input and expertise of Traveller Primary Health Care Projects, the book also includes contributions from health providers.
Starting with the immediate postnatal period, ‘My Child: 0 to 2 years’ covers a range of topics needed in the first few years of life, including, vaccinations, sleeping, feeding and tummy time. Maria McDonnell, of Pavee Mothers, underlined the importance of offering Traveller mothers sound and reliable advice during the initial days and weeks of having a child. “We want Traveller infants to have the best start to life, this is really important given evident health inequalities.” While information is just one tool, we want to ensure Traveller parents are informed so they can make decisions about their infants in an accessible and culturally appropriate way.”
Anne Pardy, Programme Manager of the HSE National Healthy Child Programme spoke at the launch. Anne hailed the work and contributions of Traveller Primary Health Care Projects to the publication, and spoke of a broader momentum behind and focus on Traveller child health.
New mam, Leanne McDonnell and beautiful baby Johnny, who is also featured in the resource, spoke about the importance of Traveller images in health resources and in providing information that is clear and culturally appropriate.
Dr. Fiona Maguire, Public Health, also commended the work of Traveller Primary Health Care Workers and their identification of the need for a dedicated resource on immunisation. She spoke of the importance of dispelling myths surrounding immunisations and providing accurate and Traveller-proofed health material to support parents in relation to vaccines and immunisations.
In addition to the MyChild resource, a new national immunisation resource for Traveller parents was launched: ‘Keeping your baby safe: What Traveller parents can do’.
Download ‘My Child: 0 to 2 years’ here.
Download ‘Keeping your baby safe: What Traveller parents can do’ here.
photo1: Maria McDonnell
photo2: Leanne McDonnell
photo3: Dr Fiona Maguire
photo4: Anne Pardy