Dr Christine Puckering is on a Winston Churchill Fellowship Tour, looking at how babies at social risk are identified early, even in pregnancy, and what services are put in place to promote a secure attachment between mother and child and father and child.
Christine is going to provide regular blogs on her tour of Netherlands, Iceland, Norway & Finland.
So many interesting experiences and thoughts as I go about my visits and time in Oslo! The big question in my mind, which was there before I started this Fellowship, is what is the relative contribution of societal factors and universal services and the specialist services for vulnerable families?
It is Sunday and I have just been doing what everyone in Oslo does, which is to get out into the forest. Blest today with sunshine, I have been up in the forest above the fjord, walking on the Konig Olav’s way, a circular tour (about 5.5 miles) at the top of the hills. So has every man, woman, child and dog it seems, and dressed in cosy clothes and with sturdy footwear, even toddlers are up there enjoying nature. It is noticeable coming back into Oslo, that the shops are closed except for a few trendy boutiques and most cafes, so there is no pull to drag miserable children around dismal cloned shopping malls! I am sure you can see how my mind is working!
Combine this with good services, both universal and targeted, good parental leave and quality day care and children may have a good chance of thriving.
