The Need

New Zealand – we have a problem

New Zealand is not the safe place to be a child that we like to believe it to be. We have children dying at the hands of their families, many children in foster care, major concerns about poor parenting, burgeoning problems with behaviour in schools, teen criminality and violence, teen pregnancy, and school drop-out rates, and all the while, services struggling to effectively assist our children and parents. We have a general sense that these children’s problems stem from early in their lives, but the public perception of how early our children need our assistance has yet to catch up with what neuroscience and research are telling us loud and clear. Essentially, we need to prevent early parent-baby relationship problems and protect our infants. We ignore our infants’ needs at our peril.

The 1000 Days Trust Kaupapa rests on current regional and national statistics, established research and substantial local clinical experience.  

Drawing from this, the 1000 Days Trust proposes that early intervention is key, and the model must:

Include prevention, and not solely repair once harm has been identified

Every child who has to wait for harm to show in their behaviour has already developed the brain and biological foundations of a stressed and compromised human being. By the time the child’s emotional and behavioural problems are obvious to most others, there has already been unnecessary cost to that child’s potential for cooperative, trusting relationships. The child is primed to be reactive instead of responsive. They are dealing with real or anticipated stress instead of trusting, learning and reasoning. Each vulnerable parent and child who is not prevented from developing relationship problems results in a child who does not grow to be what she could have been. 

Be true early intervention

Knowing that the first several months of life are crucial to brain development means that we are compelled to intervene as early as possible and not wait until children present with problems as pre-schoolers or school children. 

Focus on the parent-child relationship

It is the parent-child relationship that buffers a child from adversity and builds resilience. When parents/caregivers are stressed from external pressures such as employment, ill-health etc. it can be the parent-child relationship that suffers, mainly unnoticed, to the detriment of the long term connection between child and parent. 

Include fathers

Father-baby relationships are the least researched relationships, yet it has been found to be vital to include fathers. Whilst we presume a mother might most often be the primary caregiver, we must remember Fathers are invaluable for their relationship directly with the baby and for their capacity to support the mother.

Take into account the wider circumstances of the parent

Assistance with the parent’s current circumstances may be an essential part of effective intervention and sustained gains. 

Embrace attachment theory and interventions

Research in the neurological, attachment and therapy fields converge into a biological-social-emotional approach to human development. Good relationships as well as good therapy improves neurobiology. Relational approaches such as attachment informed interventions are showing the greatest promise in the infant mental health field. The literature indicates that parent-child psychotherapy is the most promising modality. 

 The 1000 Days Trust is creating an important and crucial opportunity for research.

There is little research on therapeutic models for residential services that specialise in relational therapies in addition to social and practical advice and support.

The 1000 Days Trust has a great opportunity for research and will be gathering substantial data for future evaluation.

To view our rationale document please contact us.