By supporting expecting parents, social services can ensure all children have the best possible start in life. This is true for all future parents and, in particular, for those in situations of vulnerability or with high support needs, as prevention strongly contributes to more positive early childhood outcomes. In this session, delegates will learn about two initiatives that promote positive parenting and protect children.
Baby on the Way, implemented in the Belgian City of Genk and its surrounding area, advocates for a low-threshold access to services to support pregnant women in vulnerable situations. The service has received 40 to 45 referrals per year over the past two years, and this number is expected to triple following the introduction of a new screening instrument in 2026. They provide parenting programmes and specialised support where needed, using a trauma-sensitive approach. In Barcelona and Madrid, Preinfant is a service that accompanies at-risk families from pregnancy until the child is three years old. In 2024 alone, it served 351 families. Its methodology integrates developmental psychology, attachment theory, general systems theory, and an ecological approach to prevent child abuse, strengthen parental skills for safe and responsible parenting, promote and strengthen attachment and generate support networks that promote autonomy and family empowerment.
Both projects reflect the importance of innovation in prevention and early intervention practice to provide children with the best possible start in life.
Presentation Language: English, Spanish
Interpretation Languages: English, Spanish
Moderator:
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Sarah Carlick, Chair of the Digital Safeguarding Special Interest Group on behalf of the Association of Child Protection Professionals, United Kingdom
Presenters:
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Katrien Gruyters, General Coordinator, Campus O³ - Family Centre Genk, Belgium
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Hilde Haerden, Head of the Growing Up Department, City of Genk, Belgium
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Carme Calafat, Head of the Childhood, Family and Gender Area at Grupo ABD, Welfare and Development Association, Spain
Meet the presenters
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Katrien Gruyters, General Coordinator, Campus O³ - Family Centre Genk Schooled as a clinical pedagogist/educationalist, Katrien started her professional career as a coordinator for international voluntary services within the Don Bosco Network. Feeling the need for more specialisation, she made the switch to the special educational needs system and to a multifunctional centre specialised in care for young people with ASD and hard-of-hearing problems for more than 10 years. In 2022, Katrien felt urged to broaden her horizon again and the need for a more preventive approach and intervention systems, which made her make a new career switch to become the teamleader of Campus O³, the family centre of Genk. In 2024, she became general coordinator of Campus O³, where she leads her team in realising diverse programs of preventive support for families with children, as well as taking the lead in the organisation network of Campus O³, taking care of families with (young) children. |
Hilde Haerden, Head of the Growing Up Department, City of Genk Trained as a social pedagogue, Hilde was a cofounder in 2000 of the first Parenting Centre in Flanders/Belgium. It was a large network organisation that develops and organises numerous parenting support initiatives. In 2015, this Centre was integrated into a new, broader concept – a Family Centre in the city of Genk. A single point of contact and resource for parents, spread across various locations in Genk. Since 2020, Hilde has been head of the Growing Up Department in the city of Genk, clustering all urban services ranging from pregnancy to the age of 25. The department invests in creating as many supportive environments as possible for families and young people in response to the many new and complex challenges for parents, teachers, childcare workers, youth workers and the young people themselves. The aim is to strive for maximum opportunities for a positive development path for everyone.
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Carme Calafat, Head of the Childhood, Family and Gender Area at Grupo ABD, Welfare and Development Association Carme Calafat Siquier has been Head of the Childhood, Family and Gender Area at ABD since 2002. She is in charge of strategic, technical and executive project management in the fields of childhood, adolescence, families and gender. Specifically, she coordinates the planning, design, development and evaluation of projects focused, among others, on recovery programs for gender-based violence victims, domestic violence, prevention and promotion of egalitarian relations. Previously, she worked as a Researcher and Psychologist on childhood, adolescent abuse and domestic violence. She holds a PhD in Social Psychology from the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
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