Plunket Pleased To See Recognition Of Importance Of Child’s First 1000 Days

Whānau Āwhina Plunket is pleased that the National Party has recognised the importance of investing in our children in their First 1000 Days released today.

“We know that in the first 1000 days we can make a difference of a lifetime, and support all political parties to outline policies that invest in our precious tamariki and their whānau during this critical time of development,” says Chief Executive, Amanda Malu.

“We welcome any additional funding for families and children for support during these important 1000 days.

“This policy includes initiatives Plunket has supported for some time, such as extended postnatal stays. We have and continue to support policies that further enhance paid parental leave,” said Ms Malu.

“Where both parents can engage in this opportunity together, the better for building healthy attachments with their babies. Policies need to support what modern families look like and consider the whole whānau,” she added.

“We also support initiatives that improve access to early intervention services, including specialist support for maternal mental health.

“The proposed system for additional funding could provide the opportunity for families to choose the services they need, when they need them but we already know that access to the right or appropriate services is not equitable and there is a great deal of broader work to be done in the health system to address this properly. Plunket is committed to pro-equity and doing better for whānau Māori, Pacific families and other groups the health and disability system has, traditionally, been less effective for,” said Ms Malu.

“We know how critical it is for parents to have continuity of care and relationships, Plunket people already play this role for many families, and navigators have worked well in the Whānau Ora setting.

“Whānau Āwhina Plunket has already made a significant investment in our digital health records system, and welcome dedicated funding to support a shared system to offer parents digital access to their child’s health records like the proposed Child Passport system,” said Ms Malu.

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