Early help

During pregnancy or after the birth of a child, families are confronted with a completely new situation that needs to be mastered. It is not uncommon for parents to feel exhausted or even overburdened in this new phase of life. In addition to the newborn, one or more siblings may also have to be cared for and normal everyday life has to be managed on the side.

The networks and services of Early Help offer support during this time.

Early help builds on the resources of families and communities, strengthens their self-help potential, but also provides orientation and further help in difficult life situations.

Early help always aims to improve and expand support for mothers and fathers. It enables early support for families at the beginning of parenthood before stress becomes entrenched and thus has a preventative effect. Better care for families should also be created through the networking of all players in the field of early help. In Hesse, there is a coordination office for early help in all 33 districts, independent cities and special status cities. The Hessian network coordinators are the local contacts and guides for families and professionals.

The establishment and expansion of early help networks in Hesse is an important focus of Hessian family policy. The aim is to accompany and support parents, particularly during pregnancy and in the first 3 years of the child's life. This also includes the deployment of family midwives and family health and pediatric nurses. These are state-registered midwives or family health and pediatric nurses with an additional qualification. This enables them to support and accompany parents and families in stressful life situations. Family midwives support families up to one year after the birth of the child, family health and pediatric nurses up to three years. The specialists assist with health care and provide psychosocial support.

Among other things, they provide information and guidance on the care, nutrition, development and support of the child. If necessary, further help is arranged. The health professionals are therefore important guides for families through the numerous services available in the municipalities.

Your local Early Help Network Coordination Office can provide you with information about services and projects in the area of early help. The addresses and contact persons can be found under the links provided.

A specialist unit has been set up at the Hessian Ministry for Social Affairs and Integration to coordinate the network work in the local authorities and as an interface to coordination at federal level.

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