An analysis by a team at Birkbeck College, University of London, of the first year of the programme, launched by the Government in ten pilot areas in March 2007 and rolled out to a further 20 areas in March 2008, found that it was effectively targeting younger parents.
Eighty-eight per cent of families where parents were aged under 20 were enrolled on the programme and 81 per cent of families with parents between the ages of 20 to 23 years old were enrolled.
On average, the parents rated the contribution of the Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) to their family as 8 on a scale of one to 10. Family nurses reported that they had seen improvements in parenting practices, health, behaviour, relationships and maternal well-being.
The FNP, based on a similar programme in the US, provides intensive home visiting for first-time young parents, from early pregnancy until their child reaches the age of two. Family nurses aim to build relationships with new parents and encourage them to adopt healthy lifestyles.
Anne Keen, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Health, said, 'This programme is at the heart of our policy for improving the life chances of the most vulnerable children and their families, and these early findings are promising.'
The report, Nurse-Family Partnership Programme: First year pilot sites implementation in England is available at www.dcsf.gov.uk/research.
