In the midst of today’s pressures, all parents, particularly those who live in areas of social stress and disadvantage, need support if they are to promote the health and development of their children, their families and the next generation.

The Community Mothers Programme (CMP), run in the Republic of Ireland by the Health Service Executive is one example among many throughout the world of what can be achieved.

CMP trains experienced mothers from the local community to visit families to provide necessary child-rearing support. It is focused on the child, but there is evidence that the community benefits – especially in relation to the sense of empowerment experienced by volunteers and parents – are more general.

CMP operates mainly in disadvantaged neighborhoods and is offered to parents – first timers and some second-timers – of children from birth to twenty four months. It aims to aid the development of parenting skills and enhance parents’ confidence and self-esteem.

It is an important aspect of the approach that community mothers should reflect the ethos of the community they intend to visit. The wider motivation is to introduce solidarity to a community based on an exchange of knowledge and experience. There are indications that participation helps to increase feelings of self-worth among the volunteers as they see the parents they are supporting developing an understanding of child development. In the process, they gain status within their own community.

A recent study also showed that volunteering in the program contributed to lifelong learning. At the same time, parents are encouraged to believe in their own capabilities and skills without becoming dependent on professionals.

CMP grew out of the Early Childhood Development Programme designed in Bristol UK and piloted in the former Eastern Health Board, Republic of Ireland in 1988. In its evolved form, it is being delivered to nearly 1,200 parents each year in the Greater Dublin Area.

Community Mothers are recruited, trained and supported by family development nurses. Each full-time family development nurse works with a team of 18-20 community mothers and supports 100-120 families at any one time.

Family development nurses are in turn supported by a program director who offers specialist support, education and management in the development, implementation and maintenance of the program. The development of a program in an area takes 18-24 months.

Community mothers visit parents once a month in their own homes armed with a set of strategies focusing on health care, nutrition and overall child development. They are given nominal expenses for each visit. They typically spend upwards of 13 hours each month on their visits to between five and 15 families.

The focus is a monthly family visit when parents – mothers and fathers alike – are encouraged to set themselves goals for the month ahead, Issues discussed at each session are tailored to the particular needs of the family. The approach supports the parents’ own ideas and acknowledges that they will want to do what is best for their child.

Additional help such as breastfeeding support groups and parent and toddler groups have evolved over the years. They are facilitated by community mothers and support an additional 600 parents each year.

In 1990 CMP was evaluated by randomized controlled trial and was found to have significant beneficial effects for mothers and children.

Children in the program scored better in terms of immunization, language, education and cognitive development of the child and nutrition, and their mothers scored better in terms of nutrition and self-esteem. At that time the program was only aimed at first-time parents during the first 12 months of the child’s life; parents received a maximum of 12 visits, usually one a month lasting approximately an hour.

Further evaluation was conducted seven years later when the children were aged eight. A major finding was the persistence of superior parenting skills among the program families. Children whose mothers were in the CMP were more likely to have better nutritional intake, to read books and to visit the library regularly.

Mothers in the program also had higher levels of self-esteem. They were more likely to oppose smacking, have strategies to help them and their children to deal with conflict, enjoy participating in their children’s games, eat appropriate foods and express positive feelings about motherhood.

The benefits of the CMP also extended to subsequent births: children were more likely to have completed their primary and MMR immunization and to be breastfed. There were indications that just 12 contact hours in the first year of a child’s life can make a difference.

References

Johnson, Z. Howell, F. Molloy, B. (1993) “Community Mothers Programme: Randomised Controlled Trial of Non-Professional Intervention in Parenting” British Medical Journal, Volume 306, pp 1449-52.

Johnson, Z. Molloy, B. Scallon, E. Fitzpatrick, P. Rooney, B. Keegan, T. Byrne, P. (2000). “Community Mothers Programme: Seven Year Follow-Up of a Randomised Controlled Trial of Non-Professional Intervention in Parenting” Journal of Public Health Medicine, Volume 22, No. 3, pp 337-342.

McGuire-Schwartz, M. (2007) “Relationships Between Family and Social Support and Mother-Child Bonds. Multicultural Perspectives in Ireland and the United States” Journal of Poverty and Children, Volume 13, No. 2, pp 133-156.

Molloy, B (2002). Still Going Strong: A Tracer Study of the Community Mothers Programme Dublin, IrelandThe Hague: Bernard van Leer Foundation.

Molloy, M. (2007). "Volunteering as a Community Mother – A Pathway to Lifelong Learning" Community Practitioner, Volume 80, No. 5, pp 28-32.