iHV supports Infant Mental Health Awareness Week #IMHAW2025

Today marks the start of Infant Mental Health Awareness Week (#IMHAW2025). Organisations and services working with families across the UK get a chance to celebrate the vital work they do to support babies’ earliest relationships with their parents and caregivers.

Alison Morton, Chief Executive of the Institute of Health Visiting, said:

“At the iHV, we know how important early relationships are in shaping a baby’s lifelong chances. And we know how important health visitors are in creating a safe psychological space for parents to explore the joys and uncertainties of new parenthood.

“That’s why we are excited to be leading a second phase of research, funded by The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, around health visitors’ use of the Alarm Distress Baby Scale (ADBB). The expansion of the ADBB, and its modified version, in a wider range of health visiting services will enable us to consider future sustainability of the model and help to direct the right support to the families who most need it.”

Health visitors are being trained in sites across all UK nations to better observe and interpret the ways that babies communicate through their facial expressions, eye contact, sounds and movements. By using the ADBB observation aid, health visitors can help parents discover the amazing social capacities of their babies, the ways babies show that they want to be in a relationship, and the subtle ways they indicate if something in their environment is causing them stress.

In this short film, created by The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood for #IMHAW2025, two of the health visitors participating in the study clearly articulate the importance of early relationships in establishing good mental health. It showcases the knowledge and skill of health visitors to support all families to lay the best foundations for their babies.

See the short film on The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood's Linked In account

See the short film on The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood's Instagram account

Hilda Beauchamp, Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Lead at the Institute of Health Visiting, said:

“I am so proud of the commitment of the health visitors involved in this study. They are achieving very high certification in ADBB, demonstrating robust knowledge and skill in their observation and understanding of babies’ communication and have been excited to use their enhanced skills to support families up and down the UK. This short film showcases the knowledge, skill and passion of health visitors in supporting all families to lay the best foundations for their babies. We know health visitors are amazing – and it’s great to be able to share a glimpse of the amazing work they do!”

The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood has shared a second short film as they caught up with some of the brilliant health visitors who are part of the second phase of the “ADBB” pilot as well as iHV’s Perinatal & Infant Mental Health Lead, Hilda Beauchamp – see video below This is a study of how a simple, yet powerful observation tool, can be used by professionals to spot early signs of emotional distress in babies through their eye contact, expressions, sounds, and activity.

Click here for more information about the ADBB study

Special thanks to the families, the health visiting services in Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust and West Street Family Hub, Scunthorpe who contributed to the film.

First 1001 Days Movement’s Manifesto for Babies

The iHV is proud to be a Steering Group member of the First 1001 Days Movement and fully supports its Manifesto for Babies. The recommendations are published in advance of the general election to coincide with Infant Mental Health Awareness week this week (10-16 June 2024) and our shared pledge to #SpeakUpForBabies.

The First 1001 Days Movement comprises a coalition of over 200 charities and professionals who believe that babies’ emotional wellbeing and development matters. The Movement’s members deliver a wide range of services that protect and support babies and their families – and the recommendations for the next government are based on a survey of its membership.

At the iHV, we are delighted to have the weight of support of more than 200 organisations and individuals within the Manifesto calling for sustainable funding for health visiting. We know that it takes a village to raise a child and health visiting is only part of the solution. Collectively, we recognise the importance of a comprehensive system of support to meet the needs of all babies – with the following recommendations:

1.An ambitious cross-government strategy to support babies’ healthy development

A Cabinet Committee made up of relevant Secretaries of State, reporting to the Prime Minister, to join up government
An ambitious cross-government strategy for babies that aligns government departments to work towards common outcomes.

2. Invest more in prevention

Sustainable funding of preventative services, including health visiting, with public health budgets ring-fenced from day-to-day and capital spending
The Treasury to recognise the full benefits of services that improve outcomes in both the short and long term and across departments
Extending funding for the Start for Life programme until every neighbourhood has a Family Hub or Children’s Centre
The NHS Long Term Plan to include preventative mental health services for babies.

3. Tackle health inequalities so that all babies have a good start to life

A national strategy to support babies in the first 1001 days should include targeted approaches to reduce inequalities
The next government to commit to tackle child poverty and scrap the two-child limit policy
Integrated Care Systems to be held accountable for their statutory duty to reduce health inequalities and invest in services that support babies’ social and emotional development
Services to be co-produced with families to reach the most vulnerable babies in marginalised and isolated families.

4. Develop a workforce plan for children’s social care and the early years

Adequate staffing levels to support babies and provide safe care in all settings
Collaborating with professional bodies to accurately estimate and address workforce gaps across services
A workforce plan for social care and the early years workforce to complement the NHS Workforce Plan
A review of training pathways to explore new entry routes to careers in the NHS, early years, social care and the voluntary sector.

5. A rapid review of the tax and benefits system for parents and carers of under-2s

Government to recognise that supporting babies’ healthy development is equally important a policy objective as getting new parents back to work
Parental choice to return to work to be supported
Government to provide six weeks’ well-paid paternity and parental leave to help fathers play a more active role
Training in infant mental health for nursery staff and all those working in paid settings caring for under-2s.

Read the full First 1001 Days Manifesto report here.

Get involved – ask your candidates to support the campaign – see details here.

In case you missed it, you can also read the iHV manifesto “asks” for health visiting, published last week, here.