Abu Dhabi: Mubadala Health on Monday announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority (ECA) to provide expertise from across its network of healthcare entities in service of families across the emirate of Abu Dhabi.
The partnership will see both entities collaborate on various initiatives designed to safeguard and support the physical and mental well-being of parents and children.
Mubadala Health will complement the work of ECA, which has a particular focus on child protection and safety, health promotion and nutrition, family support, early education and care, spanning the early stages of pregnancy through to the child reaching eight years of age.
Sana Mohamed Suhail, Director-General, ECA, said: “The great work being done to support families across Abu Dhabi will be further strengthened thanks to this partnership with Mubadala Health, which will lend the expertise of its network to ensure the well-being of parents and children of the emirate. Our partnership will also contribute to ensuring that parents, children and caregivers have the adequate services and resources to ensure the optimal development of children and provide them with the essentials for good physical health, socio-emotional development and early education.”
New strategy
Through the ‘Parents and Caregivers Strategy’, experts from Mubadala Health and ECA will encourage positive parenting, raising awareness of the importance of parents’ mental and physical health. The strategy also focuses on child protection, safety awareness and parental education.
Hasan Jasem Al Nowais, CEO of Mubadala Health, said: “Safeguarding the health and well-being of our community is of paramount importance to Mubadala Health, as it is essential for us all to work towards a future society that is healthy and well-protected. We are proud to partner with the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority (ECA) to support the mental and physical well-being of children and their parents, empowering them to lead healthy lives for decades to come.”
The partnership will leverage support from international partnerships such as Child Protection Specialists practitioners from Georgetown University (GU); as well as include joint workshops hosted by Mubadala Health and ECA to identify potential services for vulnerable and at-risk families with young children.
As part of the partnership, a programme titled ‘Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting (PDEP)’ will be piloted in Abu Dhabi, which will aim to create an effective and affordable model of support for parents and children of determination, including home-based and respite support.
Mubadala Health and ECA will also work together on a Child Protection Strategy, which will pilot a ‘Safe Schools’ programme, supported by expert training delivery. Both programmes will be backed by support helplines.
