This study set out to investigate the parent-infant interventions that are run by a community-based organisation on the outskirts of Johannesburg’s Alexandra township, South Africa. Community-based interventions that support the parent-infant dyad present an ideal opportunity to shape the development of youth as they aim to foster secure attachment relationships thereby providing the bedrock for future growth. This research specifically explores caregivers’ perceptions of the Baby Mat project in order to understand why some caregivers make optimal use of this intervention whereas others do not. It also gives insight into why some caregivers who are referred for parent-infant psychotherapy on the Baby Mat fail to take up this offer. In addition, it identifies needs caregivers have that are not being met by the Baby Mat. Data for this study was collected by holding a focus group with 11 caregivers in group discussion. The results of the data analysis indicate that caregivers are increasingly having to navigate the transition to motherhood alone, and are often overwhelmed with anxiety. Possibly this is because the support gleaned from extended families has diminished over the last few decades in South Africa. Consequently caregivers are often very receptive to the Baby Mat, which they see in the role of “grandmother”. By visiting the Baby Mat, caregivers realise that they are not alone in the challenges they face and often leave the mat feeling more hopeful about their problems. Yet several factors block them from making full use of this intervention. The primary one is their socially and economically weak position. They are also concerned that actions that they would rather avoid might be taken when facilitators on the mat learn of the abuse they are exposed to. Having limited resources, they are often looking for information and guidance and when this need cannot be met, frustration follows. Generally they want people running relevant interventions to come to them, as opposed to their going out to seek support. This may explain their failure to take up parent-infant psychotherapy. It is also was evident that the caregivers want to reach out to each other.

Post-natal care is a care given to the mother and the newborn during post-natal period. This period is crucial to save the lives of the mother and the newborn. Despite its importance, the utilisation of this service is very low in Ethiopia. This study was conducted to establish the views and experiences of women and health care workers on post-natal care services and determine the factors influencing its utilisation with the ultimate purpose of developing guidelines to improve uptake and quality of the services in South West Shoa Zone of Oromia Region, Ethiopia. The objectives of the study were to explore and describe the women’s views and experiences on utilisation of post-natal care service. Furthermore, the study sought to explore and describe health care workers views and experiences on provision of the services and to assess the factors facilitating or hindering to the utilisation of it. Ultimately, the study had intended to develop guidelines that would contribute towards improving the uptake and quality of the post-natal care services. The study used a qualitative descriptive and explorative research design to address the research questions. Qualitative data were collected from 19 women who gave birth in the past six months and from 24 health care workers providing post-natal care services (health care workers and health extension workers) and coordinating the overall maternal, neonatal and child health services in the study area (Zone and district health officials; primary health care units heads). The study used in-depth interview guides to collect data from the aforementioned study participants. Inductive thematic analysis was performed on the verbatim transcriptions using the Atlas ti version 8 qualitative data analysis software. Overall, the emerged themes from the analysis are categorised into women’s views and experiences on utilisation of PNC services, views and experiences of health care workers on PNC and factors facilitating and hindering the utilisation of PNC services. The study identified wide range of socio-cultural, knowledge and attitude related, physical, health facility related and health care workers related factors affecting the utilisation of post-natal care services. Consequently, after a systemic review of literature and stakeholders consultation the researcher used the findings of the study to develop guidelines to improve the uptake and quality of post-natal care services. The developed guidelines were also validated by maternal, neonatal and child health service providers and program leaders and the researcher strongly recommend the use of the developed guidelines that would improve the uptake and quality of post-natal care services. / Health Studies / Ph. D. (Public Health)