Tag Archives: infant

Infant Mental Health Awareness Week 2021

When is Infant Mental Health Awareness Week?

This year, Infant Mental Health Awareness Week will run between 7-12th June.

What is it?

Infant Mental Health Awareness Week takes place every year in June to highlight the importance of babies’ emotional wellbeing and development.

What’s happening and how to get involved

The theme for this year’s Infant Mental Health Awareness Week is ‘including infants in children and young people’s mental health’.

Join in the discussion on Twitter using #IMHAW21 and #IncludingInfants.

A member of the 1001 Days Movement

The First 1001 Days Movement

The Maternal Mental Health Alliance is a proud member of the First 1001 Days Movement.

Find out more about Infant Mental Health Awareness Week on their website.

 

MMHA response to ‘The Best Start for Life: A Vision for the 1,001 Critical Days’

The Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA) warmly welcomes the launch of the Government’s Early Years Review – The Best Start for Life: A Vision for the 1,001 Critical Days.

Early Years Health Adviser Andrea Leadsom MP led the review, which details recommended best practice across the health system to ensure babies, children and their parents get the best possible start to their journey. Experts in child and perinatal health have been a key part of the review process, including many MMHA members.  Continue reading MMHA response to ‘The Best Start for Life: A Vision for the 1,001 Critical Days’ →

Strengthening parent-infant mental health in Warwickshire

Sophy Forman-Lynch has worked in the field of public health for 24 years in the UK, Pakistan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Bangladesh and India.

She has worked in maternal and child health, mental health and well-being, alcohol and substance misuse, offender health, sexual health and asset-based community approaches.

Sophy is currently working for the Public Health Team in Warwickshire County Council with a focus on the ‘early years’. This includes involvement in the re-commissioning of health visiting services.

In 2016 Warwickshire’s multi-agency strategic Smart Start Programme undertook three pieces of research to hear the voices and experiences of over of 1,030 Warwickshire parents of children aged 0-5 years (including expectant parents), and 275 multi-agency staff working with expectant parents and young families.

Parents and workers told us that more needed to be done to promote and support parent-infant mental health and wellbeing in Warwickshire.

The experience of loneliness and social isolation amongst new parents was common, and was frequently reported to have had a significant impact on their mental health and wellbeing. Continue reading Strengthening parent-infant mental health in Warwickshire →