Småbarnsföräldrars behov av föräldrastödsinsatser

Sammanfattning: Background During the child’s first year of life there is a continuous contact with the Child Health Services (CHS) and the parents feel confident and involved. After the first year, the visits to the CHS is reduced at the same time as the everyday life changes for the family as the child starts going to day-care and the parents often go back to work. Aim To examine what it is like being a parent to children aged one to five and what kind of parenting support parents of children aged one to five are in need of. Method Semi-structured interviews were used to interview 25 parents in 21 telephone interviews and one focus group with 4 parents. The recruiting of parents was done on site at one open day-care and with the help of CHS nurses in Sweden. There were 10 men and 15 women. The data was analysed thematically using Malterud’s model. Results The social network was seen as a vital part of the family life. Parents who had a small social network asked for more places for parents to meet other parents. The CHS was seen as a natural and self-evident partner during the child’s first year, but as the visits decreased the parents expressed a wish for the contact to continue. The open day-care was a much appreciated place of meeting where parents could meet other parents and exchange thoughts, ideas and experiences. The parents also saw the open day-care as a forum for continued parenting groups that focuses on the children’s different developmental stages. The parents asked for more freedom to choose for themselves and the possibility to influence their own situation in life and not being governed by the state as much. Conclusion Several parents asked for a continued contact with the CHS after the child’s first year. The parents wished that the open-day care be used both as a place of meeting for parents but also as an arena for continued parenting groups that focuses on the children’s developmental stages. Many parents ask for a greater flexibility and possibility for the family to decide for themselves the way they want to live.