Mother Goose Program - Keeping mums and their kids protected

12 March 2020

Mother Goose Program - Keeping mums and their kids protected

There is nothing more important than the bond between parent and child. Sadly, this special relationship can be challenged when a family has been impacted by family violence and this can lead to life-long repercussions.

Family violence impacts, not only the mother, but also the child. Whilst the child may not be directly targeted, there is tension in the home environment leaving the child feeling unstable. Due to the family violence, the mother often doesn’t have the ability to spend play-time with the child.

In 2018, Eastern Health FaPMI, the City of Whitehorse and Kara House formed a partnership to begin trialling the Parent Child Mother Goose (PCMG) Program at Box Hill Library. Each organisation provided different expertise including social work, enhanced maternal Child Health Nursing and our specialist family violence services.

Mother Goose is an evidence-based program that strengthens the attachment and interaction between parents and their young children by introducing them to the pleasure and power of using rhymes, songs and stories together. The rhymes, stories and songs can be used to cut through emotional and stressful situations in daily life – like a toddler meltdown at the supermarket.

The group takes place on a weekly basis for 2 hours throughout school terms. The program is primarily aimed at parents who have experienced family violence or mental illness with children aged 0-5 years. The program is enjoyable and fun, and is available to participants free of charge.

At the end of the singing session the Specialist Family Violence Children’s Practitioner is available for a one-on-one meeting with the mother to discuss the impacts of family violence on the child and assist with strategies to overcome these. Our Kara House Specialist Family Violence Children’s Practitioner says, “Mother Goose allows uninterrupted time between mother and child, to nurture attachment and bonding through song, providing a sense of fun and normalcy back into the child’s life.”

The Mother Goose Program plays an important part in creating a strong bond between mothers and their children who have been impacted by family violence. For these families early intervention

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