The health visiting team will invite every family to a group session antenatally with the health visitor who is likely to see them at home once their baby has arrived. This session supports parents to start thinking about what life might be like once baby has arrived. They then have their newbirth contact at home with that same health visitor and then are invited to attend a 4-10 week group session with the same cohort of parents they met antenatally and the same two health visitors facilitating the session. This session supports them to think about what the baby is telling them, brain development, and gives all that early day support within a parent to parent group. They are then also invited to a Devon wide introducing solids virtual session – in time this will become face to face - between 16-21 weeks so that they have all the information ready for introducing solids at 6 months. There are also plans to offer a 10-16 week group.

The aim with all of these sessions is that they will develop into community led groups which support peer support and other community resources over time.

The health visiting team continue to offer home targeted and specialist work but this is a really valuable part of our universal offer that focuses on family health promotion.

More information is being uploaded on to our Health for under fives website: Events - Devon | Health for Under5s