Baby in the Neonatal Unit
The Medical Social Work (MSW) team on the Neonatal provides psychosocial support to families during their baby’s stay on the unit.
MSW’s strive to support parental wellbeing to allow parents to cope and manage to the best of their ability and build a healthy relationship and bond with their baby.
For longer admissions to the unit (extreme prematurity) the medical social worker can be a great source of support as they get to know parents and their individual needs and can tailor interventions accordingly. MSW’s carry out psychosocial assessments to determine needs and can provide the following psychological support:
Research tells us that NICU admissions can be very stressful for families, this can be exacerbated by responsibilities at home such as other children, language barriers, lack of family support, families living a great distance from the hospital, previous losses or trauma, IVF journey, financial or relationship worries.
NICU social workers use a trauma informed approach in their work which focuses on safety, transparency, trust, empowerment and collaboration.
We acknowledge that this journey can be extremely difficult and we endeavour to build relationships that are built on trust and respect in keeping with the principles of social work practice.
Medical Social Workers can act as an advocate for the family and offer practical support to families including
Useful Links
Find further information and support from trusted organisations.
The Neonatal Unit https://nmhnicu.ie/neonatal-care/the-neonatal-unit/
Bliss charity, Resources and Parents Podcast www.bliss.org.uk/ & bliss.org.uk/mental-health
IMBA Irish Multiple Births Association www.imba.ie
Irish Neonatal Health Alliance www.inha.ie
Birth registration https://www2.hse.ie/services/births-deaths-and-marriages/register/birth/
Citizens Information https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social-welfare/families-and-children/maternity-benefit/
Contact Details
Email socialworkadmin@nmh.ie
Phone: 01 6373236
Office Hours: Monday – Saturday 7am – 7pm
Any professional working in the hospital can make a referral. Patients can also self refer.