Learning from the coronavirus pandemic about the future of family support services A focus group study with parents and professionals

Background The onset of the coronavirus pandemic created diverse stressors for families with small children such as isolation, limited public and private childcare options, and balancing work and childcare. Fear of the future, feelings of uncertainty and loneliness led to a rise in mental health problems. Public family support services also faced significant challenges: while families felt more need for support, established means of reaching families and providing services were severely curtailed. Objectives The current study aimed at capturing pandemic-related changes in family needs and at documenting experiences in the use of newly developed analog and digital services provided by public family support institutions in the city of Hamburg, Germany. Materials and methods We conducted focus groups with staff members of different types of public family support services and parents who were using these services. Central topics of discussion were pandemic-related experiences and ideas for the future of public family support services. Results Results confirm an increase in family pressures. Parents and staff members missed low-threshold accessibility of services and personal contact and dialogue. Creative approaches to complement services digitally were developed. Several of these approaches were considered beneficial, especially for reaching new target groups and strengthening interprofessional cooperation in the field. Conclusions In-person support services need to be upheld. However, digital services can effectively complement analog formats. A successful combination requires effective resource distribution and staff member qualification measures.