The iHV is delighted to be supporting UK Maternal Mental Health Matters Awareness Week 2019 which runs from 29 April until 5 May 2019. Perinantal and Infant Mental Health (PIMH) has been a priority for us from day one, and we are proud of our work in mental health.

We firmly believe that there is no health without mental health and that health visitors are uniquely placed to:

  • – prevent mental ill-health in the first instance
  • – promote mental wellbeing of the mother, other family members and the wider community
  • – offer evidence-based interventions to families experiencing mental health problems
  • – refer on for timely specialist support
  • – coordinate integrated care experiences
  • – support relationships between parents and infants, the couple relationship and wider family relationships

In order to deliver a high-quality service, families need health visitors to be in sufficient numbers, with the right capacity, competence and confidence. There is strong support for a universally well-trained workforce that is complemented, supported and strengthened through strong leadership from specialist health visitors in every organisation.

Throughout the week we are going to be sharing examples of how leadership from health visitors who practice at an advanced level (often referred to as Specialist PIMH Health Visitors) are making a difference! Follow #maternalMHmatters on Twitter for all the latest updates.

About Maternal Mental Health Week

Led by the Perinatal Mental Health Partnership (PMHP), the week focuses on mums affected by Maternal Mental Illness uses the general hashtag #maternalmhmatters on social media.

Follow PMHP on Twitter – @PMHPU and Instagram – @perinatalmhpartnership

Each day this week has a theme and specific hashtag:

  • – Monday 29 April – ‘What is Perinatal Mental Health’? – #pmhpwhatispmh
  • – Tuesday 30 April  – What good support looks like – #pmhpsupport
  • – Wednesday 1 May – This is World Maternal Mental Health Day and the theme for the day will be ‘The Village’, focusing on how we work together to remove barriers to services so all mums who need services can access them – #pmhpthevillage
  • – Thursday 2nd May – focus on recovery – #pmhprecovery
  • – riday 3 May – To end the week, we will be encouraging the creation of a virtual ‘Positivity Pot’ so do share articles and blogs about recovery, looking ahead to the future and selfcare – #pmhppositivitypot

How you can get involved:

  • – Highlight what you and / or your organisation are doing to promote mental well being of families and how you/health visiting service supports families affected by perinatal mental illness.
  • – Use the #maternalmhmatters hashtag in conjunction with #healthvisiting on social media when referring to the week and the daily specific hashtags if relating to the daily theme.
  • – Get in touch with us – write a blog/send pics of activities you are doing as part of MMH week/MMH day.
  • – Make contact with local commissioners and share the importance of your role in PIMH, why not take a commissioner out with you/ ask a parent to share their experience , show them the Channel 4 film we made last year, facilitate them to talk with a family who you have supported.
  • – Book on the iHV PIMH Champions training
  • – #PNDHOUR – Following on from the success of the last two years, Rosey from PNDandMe will be running #PNDHOUR every night during the week at 8pm on Twitter. Do join in!

Melita Walker, Mental Health Lead, iHV

 

 

 

 

World MMH day logoThe first World Maternal Mental Health awareness day is 4 May 2016.

What is it? Organisations from around the world — including the UK, US, Canada, Turkey, Australia, Argentina, Malta, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, Germany, Nigeria, will be raising awareness about maternal mental health through a collective social media push and in-country events on or around the 4 May.

What can I do? The Maternal Mental Health Alliance encourages ALL to use this day to communicate the message that maternal mental health matters. Everone is encouraged to do whatever they can, however major or minor.

Ideas: You may want to organise your own mini event or, if you already have an event planned for that day, you could use it to highlight World MMH Day.

Some organisations are encouraging mums to do a buggy walk, another peer support group will be making a cake with World MMH Day written on it, taking a photo and promoting it on social media. Maybe someone from your organisation could write a blog post and use the World MMH Day hashtag, twibbon and logo to get some media interest around your event or idea.

PLease keep MMHA updated on what you are planning – send photos on the day or tweet them @MMHAlliance

This can all be used to gain more support for World MMH Day next year and perhaps for some funding.

Resources and materials available are:

  1. Join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag: #maternalMHmatters
  2. Website/landing page: postpartum.net – please promote this landing page through your networks and on your websites.
  3. Adopt the Twibbon on World MMH day on Facebook or Twitter: com/Support/world-mmh-day
  4. World MMH logo
  5. World MMH poster