2017/12/15 by Martina Schlüter-Cruse, Schlüter-Cruse, Martina, F zu Sayn-Wittgenstein +1
Health Professions · #Health and Medical Studies #Social and Demographic Issues in Germany #Child and Adolescent Health
paper · doi:10.3205/zhwi000009
Background: Around 13 percent of families with newborns in Germany are in need of support from the early prevention networks. Cooperation between the professionals working in healthcare and social welfare is essential for improving children’s development opportunities. Freelance midwives are respected partners in the early prevention networks but there has been very little research on their view of this cooperation. Aim: The study analyses key behavioral concepts of midwives in the context of interprofessional cooperation and early prevention. Method: The qualitative study is based on 27 problem-centered interviews with freelance midwives in Germany. Access to the field was gained through posts on local mailing lists, adverts in professional midwifery journals, participation in conventions and by involving professionals acting as gatekeepers. The interviews were conducted based on a script, were digitally voice recorded and lastly transcribed. Data evaluation was carried out using a qualitative text analysis. Results: Establishing a relationship of trust between midwives and their clients was identified as the focal point for midwives’ cooperation in early prevention networks. This relationship shapes the working relations between midwives and clients as well as between midwives and child and youth welfare professionals. Some midwives build on the women’s trust in order to refer them to services provided by the Youth Welfare Office, others use it to set themselves apart from the latter. Conclusion: The key challenge of freelance midwives is to carve out their role as a cooperation partner within the networks of early prevention without undermining the trust of their clients. This requires a clear and comprehensible framework for all actors involved in these networks.