New research, published last Saturday by the Parent-Infant Foundation, shows significant gaps in mental health provision for babies and toddlers.

The findings, from a survey of nearly 300 NHS children and young people’s mental health professionals, also show significant gaps in knowledge, experience and confidence across the workforce. 

Key findings include:

  • Only 36% of respondents reported that, within children and young people’s mental health services in their area, there are mental health services that can work effectively with babies and toddlers aged 0-2.
  • Only 52% of respondents said their local NHS children and young people’s mental health service took referrals for children aged two and under. Many of these respondents told us that, while this was the referral criteria on paper, in reality, the service was not working with young children.
  • Only 9% of respondents felt there was “sufficient provision available for babies and toddlers whose mental health was at risk” in their area.
  • During their pre-qualification training, 26% of respondents had not been trained to work with 0–2-year-olds. 48% had not had experience of working with this age group during their training.

To ensure that ALL children across the UK can access appropriate mental health provision, if and when they need it, there is a collective call for:

  1. Policy and investment from national governments to increase the provision of infant mental health services.
  2. A drive within the NHS to hold commissioners and providers to account for offering a truly 0-25 mental health service.
  3. A workforce development strategy to ensure there are trained professionals with the specialised skills required to deliver these critical services.

Take the #IncludingInfants Pledge

As part of #IMHAW21, there is a call for everyone to adopt the language of “infant, children and young people’s mental health”.

Children and young people’s mental health should describe the mental health of all children from 0-18 and beyond, but often the needs of babies and toddlers under two get forgotten.

Changing our language to talk about “infant, children and young people’s mental health” is a simple but powerful way to drive change.

We believe that small changes in language could catalyse wider changes in attitudes, understanding and eventually in policy and service provision.

Through making this pledge, you are committing to talk about “infant, children and and young people’s mental health” wherever appropriate and to include infants in more of your discussions, thinking and action to improve children’s mental health.

To find out more and take the pledge go to: www.parentinfantfoundation.org.uk/includinginfantspledge

If you take the pledge you will receive some exclusive social media assets which you can share in your work space or via your social media to show your commitment.

Infant Mental Health Awareness Week (#IMHAW21) is nearly here. The Parent-Infant Foundation (PIF) is planning lots of activity for the week, and we hope you are too!

The theme for #IMHAW21 is #IncludingInfants in children and young people’s mental health.

We will be encouraging everyone working in children and young people’s mental health policies, strategies and services to think about and include babies.

 

PIF has launched the first version of the calendar of events for the week. They will keep updating this over the coming weeks. If you’re running something that you’d like to be on the calendar please email [email protected].

The logos for the week are also now available for you to download and use on your materials.

Please watch the PIF website parentinfantfoundation.org.uk/imhaw for updates on the week.


The All Party Parliamentary Group for Conception to Age Two is meeting on 8 June from 9:30-11am.

This meeting will focus on local variation in the provision of services for babies and their families across England, and how this might be addressed through current reforms.

To join the meeting live, book a place here. The event will also be livestreamed and recorded to watch later.