Plunket

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You’ve no doubt heard of Plunket. They are an excellent source of information and support for parents with children under the age of five. Their clinical and support programmes include home and clinic visits, parent education, car seat rental schemes, safety programmes and ante-natal education programmes.

Plunket is a national not-for-profit organisation, community-owned and governed. We provide a caring, professional well child and family/whānau service. We are committed to providing universal access to services for all children and families regardless of ethnicity, location or ability to pay. This is at the heart of who we are and is essential to provide a positive environment for parents.

Plunket & you:

Plunket is a community-based organisation unique to New Zealand providing free services that help to ensure young children are cared for by knowledgeable, confident and loving families. Strong networks of clinical staff and volunteers work together in communities across the country to provide support for parents and whānau with children up to 5 years of age.

You & your child:

Parenting is one of the most rewarding and challenging jobs there is. Having a new baby and raising children brings great changes to your life, with a range of emotions and many questions and decisions. This section has been written to help you with all aspects of raising healthy and happy children.

Education in schools:

Parenting skills are essential to a healthy society. In developing courses Plunket has built on the philosophy ‘it takes a community to raise a child’, and partners with secondary schools in teaching parenting skills through courses that will help ensure the health and safety of our young families today and tomorrow.

Plunket clinics:

Plunket runs hundreds of clinics throughout New Zealand.

To meet the needs of our clients, clinics are also held in other locations such as maraes, kohanga reo, early childhood centres, and kindergartens.

Plunket mobile clinics:

Plunket operate mobile clinics in Waitakere, Invercargill, Central Auckland and Northland. Mobile clinics aim to make it easier for people to access well child and other health services.

Parenting education:

Parenthood brings both excitement and anxiety, and is a time of learning and huge changes. Parents need the best support to build their confidence and knowledge.

Parenting is perhaps the most important job anyone can have. Plunket understands the enormous impact that a new baby has on the life of its parents, and the changes – and occasional difficulties – that new parents can experience.

With this in mind, Plunket designed a national parenting education programme (PEPE) and also delivers the Parents as First Teachers (PAFT) programme in locations throughout New Zealand. These courses help parents to understand how their child develops and learns, and how they can best help them reach their full potential.

Play groups:

Supporting families and whānau is one of the most important things Plunket does and playgroups are an essential part of this.

Plunket playgroups are non-profit early childhood centres in local communities where groups of parents/whānau and children meet regularly. Children get valuable educational and social experiences and parents get to meet and make new friends and share experiences.

There are more than 180 Plunket playgroups throughout the country so they can be found in many communities. Most groups meet weekly and some fortnightly.

Some groups get together for music or movement groups and others have a full range of play activities suitable for all age groups up to the age of five.

Toy libraries:

Plunket toy libraries are a great way to get safe toys for your child, at little or no cost. Toys are an important way of helping your child to develop different skills, encouraging their imagination and helping them learn about sound, touch and how things work.

Toy libraries allow you to borrow a range of toys to suit the age and stages of your child. You can choose and borrow toys then bring them back in to exchange for others, just like library books, and without having to purchase new ones.

Car seat rentals:

Did you know your baby needs to be in a car seat from its very first ride? New Zealand law requires that all children under five years of age must use an approved child restraint appropriate for their age and size.

For children 5-7 years old you must use a child restraint or safety belt if there is one available. If no restraint is available, children must travel in the back seat. For children 8-14 years old you must use a safety belt if available, children must travel in the back seat.

Plunket car seat rental schemes offer a variety of affordable infant and child restraints available for short- and long-term hire. Prices vary depending on the area. A bond is charged in addition to rental, and this is refunded when the seat is returned in good condition. Our car seat rental scheme representatives are Safe2Go trained which means they can give the best advice on the safe use of child restraints.

Contact:
Plunket
Phone: +64 4 471 0177
Fax: +64 4 471 0190
Email:
Website: www.plunket.org.nz