Potential Of Pregnancy Help

Especially in this International Year of the Family, there is immense potential for an agency such as Pregnancy Help to deliver much needed family services in areas of parenting programs, reinforcing the value of motherhood and parenthood, pregnancy support and promoting chaste lifestyle choices especially in the areas of high school sexuality education programs. As mentioned earlier, agency counsellors have addressed groups of students at Bunbury Catholic College and Bunbury Senior High School during both 1992 and 1993.

One model which might be considered for the future of the agency could besetting up a service along the lines of a parent help centre suitably adapted for service delivery in a provincial setting. This would require, however, intensive research and a comprehensive needs analysis as well as canvassing relevant government departments for on going funding.

Provided that a Management Committee for Pregnancy Help of sufficient numbers and depth can be recruited to research and pursue this idea, such an agency/service could make a very valuable contribution in preparing expectant mothers and their partners for their role as the primary and foremost nurturers of their children. Significantly, this process could be occurring at a stage in a child’s development when his/her parents are most likely to be responsive to education about parenting and establishing relationships with their children. Such an agency would be providing a truly preventive service within the community and would be a focus for support and intervention for families at those very stressful first couple of years following birth.

Indeed, the motto for such an agency could be: PREPARE:

PRE being the first three letters of the word pregnancy and

PARE being the first four letters of the word parent.