PC1 - Promotion of Healthy Social Emotional Development and Prevention of Pre-school Bullying
Pre-school bullying is a topic that is receiving more and more interest. The forum brought together research and practice in a still under-explored area of child health. Presentations and discussions looked at: the origins of aggression, factors associated with aggressive behaviour in young children, and factors leading to bullying or victimization. Strategies for service providers working with young children on promoting healthy social/emotional development and preventing aggression in pre-schoolers were explored.
Dr. Tina Daniels
Presentation in PDF
This session discussed strategies to increase awareness of bullying, and how service
providers can impact early child development and parent engagement to reduce bullying
behaviours, including social aggression, encouraging self-regulation and building healthy self-esteem
and social skills.
Panel Discussion
Each panel member briefly described the bullying prevention program they represent and its
relevance to the preschool years. Each member offered strategies to prevent pre-school
bullying. Following this, there was time for questions from workshop participants.
Panel members
Greg Lubimiv
Presentation in PDF
Greg Lubimiv from the Phoenix Centre’s, a children’s mental health centre, presented
a program called Friends and Neighbours Puppet Program www.friendsandneighboursclub.ca.
Karen Sebben
Handout in PDF
Karen Sebben, a mother of a victim and member of York Region Bullying Prevention
Coalition, talked about the impact of bullying on families and the work and goals of
the coalition www.yorkregionanti-bullying.org/.
Shawna Lee
Shawna Lee, a parenting instructor with Triple P Parenting www.triplep.net, discussed
how parenting education can make a difference.
Katie Neu
Handout in PDF
Katie Neu, the website founder of www.BullyingCanada.ca website and a bullying
victim in kindergarten herself, discussed bullying awareness and provided information
on support and resources for all ages.
Dr. Tina Daniels
Dr. Tina Daniels was also present for the panel discussion.
Discussion Groups
Participants were divided into discussion groups and discussed how the featured programs and
strategies can be applied in practice. Question for each discussion group were:
- Who is the audience that needs to be reached?
- What is the message that needs to be given?
- How can we deliver the message to the audience in local communities using existing
resources?
All groups reported back to share insights.
PC2 - Healthy Babies Healthy Children: Reserve your day! It's for you!
The pre-conference on Healthy Babies Healthy Children (HBHC) offered practical suggestions for Public Health Nurses in key areas of their work. Networking and resource sharing opportunities complemented the presentations. Registrants took part in all four presentations listed below, in a plenary format. The topics were selected with input from HBHC staff.
1. Promoting Child Development
Melanie Rosen, Child Psychotherapist, Therapeutic Clown Practitioner, Hospital for Sick Children
Handout in PDF
This session offered a variety of ideas of activities which can be used by Healthy Babies Healthy Children staff to promote healthy child development.
2. Supporting Parent Progress
Margaret Leslie, Director, Early Intervention Programs, Mothercraft/Breaking the Cycle
Presentation in PDF
It can be challenging to support parents who may not appear to progress, despite our services or interventions, especially in the case of parents with developmental delays such as FASD. This session provided a framework for assessing a parent’s readiness to change, and introduced the principles of motivational interviewing as an approach to facilitating readiness to change.
Link to Motivational Interviewing website: http://www.motivationalinterview.org
3. Postpartum Mood Disorders and Mental Health
Denise Hébert, Program Manager, Healthy Babies Healthy Children, Ottawa Public Health
Presentation in PDF
This interactive session focused on how Healthy Babies Healthy Children staff can support families coping with mental health challenges, specifically, Postpartum Mood Disorders (PPMD). The participants developed a better understanding of PPMD within in the broader scope of mental health, and how to support families facing these challenges.
4. Attachment
Dr. Chaya Kulkarni and Dr. Jean Wittenberg, Infant Mental Health Promotion (IMP), Hospital for Sick Children
Dr. Chaya Kulkarni's Presentation in PDF
Dr. Jean Wittenberg's Presentation in PDF
This presentation explored attachment and how it can be supported and promoted between parent or caregiver and young children. The impact of poor or insecure attachment on a child’s development was discussed. Presenters shared strategies that can be used by Healthy Babies Healthy Children practitioners to support the attachment relationship essential for optimal early development.
