NorPIP
Northamptonshire Parent Infant Partnership
Have you heard of NorPIP? Andrea Leadsom MP launched the charity on May 18th 2012, adding to the existing OxPIP (Oxford) with plans to expand around the country. They are supporting families with children aged 0 – 2 years with psychotherapy. Their aim is to help to parents and babies who are struggling to bond emotionally, and to help with problems such as emotional concerns during pregnancy, birth trauma, postnatal depression and other problems stemming from the parents’ past that are directly affecting their parenting. In line with recent research NorPIP believe early intervention is more helpful to families, and improves the future lives of children.
This is how NorPIP explain their philosophy in their business plan:
“Early attachment relationships act as a foundation for subsequent emotional, social and cognitive development in children. Difficulties in the bond between primary carer and baby can arise as a result of both individual and social difficulty, for example, where there is post-natal illness, parental mental health problems, drug or alcohol abuse, histories of trauma and neglect, conditions of socio-economic disadvantage, difficulties during the birth or as a result of a mother’s or father’s own damaging experiences in the past. These early relationships are key to the development of baby and family.........Providing skilled intensive intervention for primary carers and babies under the age of two strengthens the family at a critical point. The aim is to interrupt the repeating cycles where these problems are so often handed down to the next generation.” (NORPIP Business Plan November 2012)
Therapy is available to adoptive parents as well as natural parents. Parents’ own experiences may be explored to help unpick and challenge unhelpful parenting, and a greater understanding of the baby’s communications can lead to a more sensitive and empathic relationship with him/her. These interventions have been found to improve children’s emotional health and well being, reduce problem behaviours and have resulted in enhanced thinking and behavioural development.
Northamptonshire is the second fastest growing county in the country, it is esitimated to grow by as many as 100,000 more people in the next 10 years, taking the total population to nearly 800,000. The annual number of births are likely to be over 10,000 by 2024. This will put ever increasing stress on Local Government resources to be able to help families though difficult patches. NorPIP aims to provide psychological support for families in areas that existing services are not able to.
“NorPIP works specifically with the relationship between carer and baby – uniquely, compared with other perinatal workers, this service is provided for mothers of all ages. Perinatal health workers are sometimes able to spot problems, but often do not have the resources to deal with the causes or consequences. The services offered by NorPIP are designed to fill this gap by supplementing the existing provision with a range of intensive psychotherapeutic interventions.” These include pre and post birth counselling for parents, parent and baby sessions to help with bonding, group sessions and drop in times when parents can find out about NorPIP and the service they offer.
Working mainly from children’s centres NorPIP offers “a specialised set of therapeutic interventions for more vulnerable and complex families ........ working with parents and other carers of all ages whose issues present a barrier to successful parenting but would not meet the threshold for statutory services available to either adults or children. NorPIP does not require parents to have a diagnosable condition, be in crisis, or a lack of functioning. NorPIP acts as a service where families are significantly at risk but not yet in an emergency situation.”
“NorPIP will also work with parents where there are concerns that the attachment relationship may not be secure for example if there has been a particularly traumatic birth, post-natal depression, or where the parents' own past history makes them concerned about being a good parent. This also applies where the mother and child present attachment problems for example, if the baby is premature or the mother required extended post natal medical follow up treatment, or where there were unfortunate circumstances attached to the conception, for example rape, domestic violence, or a relationship breakdown.”
NorPIP accept referrals from Social Workers, Health Workers, GPs and other agencies. They also accept self referrals. If you are concerned about how well you are bonding with your baby, or other issues around your relationship with your children, you can refer yourself directly to them on a form which can be found in the ‘Parents And Families’ section of their website and here is the link:
There is a charge for their support, but charges are made in line with what you can afford.
If you click on ‘Links’ you will find other agencies listed who NorPIP recommend for support with the mental health wellbeing of children and young people.
