Indigenous Healthy Babies Healthy Children Support Program 

Eligibility

• For Indigenous families with children from prenatal to 6 years of age.
• ​The program is voluntary and open to any Indigenous family that requests the service.

Service Objectives

• The Indigenous Healthy Babies, Healthy Children (IHBHC) Program was created as a way to support families in celebrating and honouring new and young life in the Indigenous community. 
  
• The IHBHC Program is a prevention and early intervention strategy of services for families with children from prenatal to 6 years of age. 
  
• The overall program goal is to assist Indigenous families to provide the best opportunities for healthy development, through family home visiting (family support and service identification), service coordination, and referrals. An equally important objective is to ensure that the program addresses the needs of children at risk, to ensure that they have access to services and support that will address their needs.
  
• The IHBHC community workers are a valuable asset to families and communities. They are aware of how children grow and develop, they know the resources available in the community, and they know how to connect families to those resources or services that will address their needs

Service Description

The heart of IHBHC programming is preparation for parenting (preconception component), getting ready for  the birth of the baby, (prenatal care), and taking care of the baby (postnatal care).

 The IHBHC Program is to be delivered through the following primary components: 

• Home visits
• o Early identification
• o Screening
• o Family support plans 
• o Service coordination and referrals.

Reviews from Clients

“Mellissa and the healthy babies program has been extremely helpful and supportive,
thank you for being you” IHBHC client

“Mel has gone above and beyond to ensure both myself and my newborn are supported
both mentally and physically, her encouragement and support has truly made a huge
impact on my pregnancy” IHBHC client
​
“I have been a part of Mellissa’s program for over a year now, as my healthy baby
worker she has truly been a confidant her woods and suggestions have helped me
through one of the toughest transitions of my life. I personally didn’t have any family to
lean on locally. During this time Mellissa has been a saving grace from being an
amazing listener to helping me get through tough situations whether it was providing a
solution or telling me resources to access. Being in this program has taught me so
much about culture, I am truly thankful for all the teachings. I don’t know how I would
have gotten through this year without Mel” – IHBHC Client