Early childhood development entails supporting children’s holistic development across different domains: cognitive, social, emotional, mental and physical health.
The Health and Development Support in Preschool Partnerships (HEADS-UPP) progamme is a partnership between the National University Health System (NUHS), PCF Sparkletots and Care Corner Singapore Ltd. It brings together healthcare, education and social service professionals.
HEADS-UPP’s social-health practitioners seek to provide both parents and children support through:
- Providing preventive health education and accessible preschool-based health screening
- Working closely with parents in enhancing children’s health and development through referrals and relevant and timely follow-up support
- Tailored coaching and support on caregiver mental well-being
Providing easy access to medical screening of children at partner preschools for early identification and assessment of health and developmental concerns
Streamlining support for families with high needs to access timely professional help for children’s health and development, along with addressing caregiver/maternal mental health needs
Integrated health-social-education partnerships to provide greater wraparound care
Ways We Support
With the partnership between CoC and NUHkids, the Health and Development Support in Pre-school Partnerships (HEADS-UPP) aims to identify, assess and support children’s health and/or developmental needs early.
Health and Development Screening
Each child would receive a customised health report indicating the health screening results, along with recommendations for follow-ups and sustained health habits which will be shared by the HEADS-UPP team.
Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) Collaboration
The IDT is made up of professionals from Early Childhood Education, Social Work and Healthcare.
They come together after the health screening to share knowledge and expertise from their respective disciplines as well as their understanding of each child in different settings. This allows for common goals to be set and for a comprehensive care plan for the child.
Referral and Follow-up
Being able to access timely support in the community is an essential component of Health Development, especially for parents of children identified with health or developmental concerns.
The HEADS-UPP team facilitates this through post-screening referral and recommendations for appropriate follow ups. The HEADS-UPP team works closely with parents to support them in following through with referrals and ensuring that the children receive the needed intervention in a timely manner.
Maternal Mental Wellness
Caregiver well-being is established to be directly related to positive child outcomes. So, Healthy MumMe, a mental wellness curriculum was developed to empower parents to be a healthy ‘me’ on top of being a mum.
Healthy MumMe covers topics such as:
In addition, screening of mothers’/ caregivers’ mental wellbeing occurs in the early stages of the programme and those eligible are then referred to the Women’s Emotional Health Services (WEHS) team in NUH to provide timely specialist support for their mental health.
FAQs
A study of this pilot programme was launched in 2018 by the National University Hospital’s Khoo Teck Puat – National University Children’s Medical Institute (KTP-NUCMI). The study found that investing in an integrated preschool-based healthcare model for children from low-income families reduces barriers to health services and improves overall quality of life.
However, results from the study also found that young children from low-income families faced a drastic drop in referral follow-ups after their health screenings. This highlights a continual need to better connect families to follow through and work with existing support systems on health development.
Quotes
There were really positive findings for (Circle of Care). This allowed us to remove some of the barriers to us reaching the children who were hard to reach. Designing such place-based health models for the hardest-to-reach children helps to enhance early detection of health and developmental issues and informs parents of changing practices.
(From ‘Circle of Care scheme helps track needy kids’ health, development’)
Dr Chong Shang Chee, Principal Investigator of the study
But I learnt from Missy that I should speak to my daughter in a gentler way and explain what’s right and wrong, instead of just punishing her.”
My son “doesn’t know how to speak yet, only knows how to say ‘Mama’. But what I have learnt also changed how I take care of him, like adding more vegetables into his porridge, getting him to sleep earlier, and communicating more. Even when he just calls out for me, I respond gently and let him know ‘Mama is here’.”
(From ‘Mama is here’: Mother-of-two develops calm and confidence with pre-school-based programme)
Mdm Meriani, Parent involved in the HEADS-UPP programme
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