Aboriginal Healthy Babies Healthy Children

Goals & Objectives

The AHBHC Programme is designed to assist Aboriginal families to provide the best opportunities for healthy development for children 0 – 6 years of age through education, family home visiting, service coordination and referrals.

Programme Summary

The AHBHC Programme provides direct services to clients in their home and on their schedule. Culturally appropriate activities and services are also offered to families, free of charge, which encourage the whole family to participate. There is credibility and trust built and statistics have shown an increase amongst fathers and male caregivers participating in the programme as well as an increase in the number of woman choosing to breastfeed their babies.

An equally important objective is to ensure that families have access to services and support that will address their needs. The programme is voluntary and open to any Aboriginal family that requests the service.

Focus on Success

What really makes this programme a success is the number of services for clients that it includes. A few indicators of the programmes success include providing the family with much needed support – it gives them a sense of acceptance, pride, hope, self esteem and a sense of belonging to their community. Parents are also able to learn positive and healthy values that they can pass on to their children. Children and infants receive improved care because parents are applying the education they receive from attending workshops through the AHBHC programme.

The AHBHC programme is also beneficial to families as the programme helps develop healthy attachments for parents to their children and allows for families to enhance their parenting skills, learn more about the Aboriginal culture, and have more support in the home.

Development

Funding remains guaranteed until March 31, 2010. A proposal is currently being developed to for additional funding to have AHBHC Workers at all 29 Friendship Centres.