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Mumtrained to offer help to young parents
NEWmums are receiving the sup- port of an experienced “nanny” as part of a health service scheme to prepare them for the challenges of being a parent. Jordan Greenway (20), from Allington, is the first of 35 such young mums from Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells to graduate from the Family Nurse Partnership pro- gramme inWest Kent. The scheme – an American idea –
is being run by the Kent Commu- nity Health NHS Foundation, of- fering the advice and support of specially-trained family nurses for two-and-a-half years to first-time mums under the age of 20. Jordan, mum to two-year-old Kayden, said: “Itwas a huge shock when I fell pregnant. I wasn’t pre- pared to be amum– I had no expe- rience with babies andwas worried I might break him! “My family nurses, Pippa and Helen, were amazing. They gave me so much confidence and infor-
“It was really important that I
had someone outside my family to talk to and they were always there when I needed them.” Family nurse supervisor Carol O’Malley said: “Being involved in this programme is a serious, long- term commitment and all those tak- ing part have shown how dedicated they are to improving their lives and being the best mums they can be to their children.” Colleague Cathie Burton says the programmes are important as a way of getting support and guid- ance to young families early on. She added: “We know early in-
tervention leads to much better outcomes for our children, devel- opmentally and socially, so it’s a real pleasure to see this working so well in practice.” The programme is being offered
mation on the things to watch out for, how to keep Kayden safe and also places I could take him and the thingswe could do together.
in Maidstone and Malling. Expectant mums can be referred
to the service by their school, mid- wife or GP.
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News Alcohol sales
plan rejected A PLAN for premises in Maidstone to sell alcohol 24 hours a day has been rejected by councillors after neighbours, including a rehabilita- tion unit, expressed concern. Police also feared the proposal by
Kwik E Mart in Lower Stone Street- could add to instances of anti-social behaviour and disturbance. Licensing officer PC Neil Barnes
said 80% of calls to police regarding disturbance in that area involved one or more people being under the influence of alcohol. He said the move would put extra pressure on police resources. The shop, run by former landlord Gregory Millener, is near Lily Smith House in Knightrider Street, a sup- ported housing unit where half the residents have alcohol issues. Chris Bishop, from the Riverside
group which runs Lily Smith House, said there was less trouble at the house overnight, when alcohol could not be obtained. Mr Millener said the application
would enable people who worked night shifts to buy food and drink before or after work. The town’s licensing committee agreed the shop could sell alcohol between 7am and midnight, if it in- stalled a CCTV system, joined the MaidSafe safety scheme and kept an incident log.
Maidstone Town February 2016
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