21st August 2018
The Institute of Health Visiting (iHV) is delighted to announce that it has won first prize in the White Swan Foundation and Marcé Society International Perinatal Mental Health Education Awards for its Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Champions training programme.
White Swan Foundation and Marcé Society say ‘the prize recognises the pioneering work of institutions that catalyse perinatal awareness through stakeholder education. It particularly focuses on models that have the potential to be scaled in low and middle-income (LAMI) countries where perinatal mental health issues are largely ignored and do not receive professional interventions.’
Dr Cheryll Adams CBE, Executive Director, Institute of Health Visiting said:
“This is a massive honour for the Institute and our perinatal and infant mental health training department. To win this award, with such internationally eminent judges, is significant recognition of the quality of the Institute’s training.
“Our training has evolved over many years, alongside the evidence base, changing policy and evolving national standards, and is unique in its capacity to reach large audiences through our highly developed cascade model which builds in sustainability for commissioners. The training and its quality assurance measures have been developed alongside experts by experience as well as perinatal mental health experts from the professions we commonly train, i.e. health visitors, midwives, obstetricians, general practitioners and psychiatrists and other mental health workers.”
The iHV Champions project has become a social movement of people and organisations who are committed to creating local health and social capital, and building a sustainable, community-based public health service. As of the NHS 70th birthday on 5 July 2018, the iHV had trained 1545 health and social care professionals as Champions – with numbers increasing all the time!
Dr Adams added:
“The Marcé scientific community is keen to see how the iHV model can be used across communities in LAMI countries and we are excited to think how lessons here in England can be used to reach even more families and communities globally!”
For more details of the iHV Champions training, please see https://ihv.org.uk/our-work/our-work-in-mental-health/mental-health-training/ or contact [email protected] , the Institute’s Training Lead.
For further details of other perinatal mental health activity undertaken by the Institute, please see https://ihv.org.uk/our-work/our-work-in-mental-health/ Or contact [email protected], the Institute’s Mental Health Lead.
Find out more: https://marcesociety.com/meetings/past-meetings/
For more information please contact: Julie Cooper on 07508 344716 or [email protected]
Notes to editors
About the Institute of Health Visiting (iHV)
- The Institute of Health Visiting is a UK Centre of Excellence supporting the development of universally high-quality health visiting practice. It was launched on 28 November 2012 to promote excellence in health visiting practice to benefit all children, families and communities.
- The aim for the iHV is to raise standards in health visiting practice, so improving public health outcomes for all children, families and communities.
- For more information go to ihv.org.uk
- Follow the Institute of Health Visiting on Twitter @iHealthVisiting and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/iHealthVisiting
