Healthy Parenting & Early Childhood Development

The prenatal period through the first five years of life are critically important to a child’s healthy development and strongly influence success later in life. Healthy pregnancy, breastfeeding and healthy nutrition, parental mental well-being, safe nurturing environments and positive parenting are the most powerful influences on healthy child development.

Major initiatives

Public Health staff work with families to promote health and well-being. Public Health Nurses offer home visits to all families after a birth. They also provide support during pregnancy.

Families First offers home visiting supports to families with children, from pregnancy to school entry, supporting families to build a strong relationship with their child.

Imbedded in Families First, Towards Flourishing enhances the mental well-being of parents and children by introducing mental health promotion strategies for families.

Prenatal Connections provides support to pregnant people traveling from Nunavut and Churchill to give birth in Winnipeg.

Breastfeeding support groups take place five days a week in all community areas. Public Health Nurses and Public Health Dieticians are involved in Healthy Baby groups.

Healthy Parenting Winnipeg has been developed to ensure our clients have access to current and evidence informed advice and is a key tool supporting the Public Health Nurse Professional Practice Model. The Website provides universal information on a wide variety of parenting topics spanning the prenatal to pre-school years. HPW has created standardized messaging through work with local, provincial and national experts to ensure best practices are incorporated and information is accessible to all. https://healthyparentingwinnipeg.ca

Service Area Committees

WRHA Baby Friendly Initiative Community Committee Terms of Reference

Public Health Nursing Practice Council Terms of Reference

Families First Practice Council Terms of Reference

Resources

Child Protection and Child Abuse Handbook

Child Protection and Child Abuse Reporting Fact Sheet

Pamphlet of Childbirth and Postpartum Resources

Feeding Healthy Term Infants Resource Manual

Manitoba Poverty Tool:

Mental Health Promotion – Perinatal Mental Health Resources

Practice Change for Discharging Newborns at Risk for Jaundice Handout

Provincial Service Delivery Standards, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Guidelines

Provincial Guidance Documents for Population and Public Health Staff available on the Government of Manitoba

Provincial Population and Public Health (PPH) Nursing Standards – Prenatal, Postpartum, and Early Childhood
Provincial PPH Standard – Families First Program Standards
Provincial PPH Guideline – Public Health Nursing Psychosocial Family Assessment
Provincial PPH Standard Operating Procedures – Families First Screening Form
Provincial PPH Standard Operating Procedure- Discharge / Transfer Tracking Form
Provincial PPH Standard Operating Procedure – Program Tracking Form