Tags: mental health

Calling England HVs – have your say on new Mental Health Strategy

iHV calls out to England health visitors to respond as the Government announces consultation on the new Mental Health Strategy.

This week the Government has announced their plans for a new mental health strategy with the intention of transforming care in England and driving a shift from crisis intervention to preventative care. They are seeking practical examples and implementation evidence to inform a mental health strategy for England. iHV welcomes this news and champions the importance of early intervention through health visitors supporting infant and early child mental health, and parental mental health.

Frontline workers, clinicians and mental health experts are being invited to share their views on how to transform mental health care for children and adults in England. The call for evidence is now open and will remain open for 8 weeks, closing on 10 July 2026.

Eileen Perrins, iHV Perinatal & Infant Mental Health Lead, said:

“This consultation serves as a great opportunity to really move towards early responsive mental health care for the youngest in society, and their families, to reduce poor mental health throughout the life course. As health visitors we sit alongside these babies, children and their families offering timely, responsive, evidence-based interventions and support – but we can also see where more can, and should, be done. We are urging all health visitors to respond as individuals to the consultation to share examples of good practice within health visiting and share expertise and knowledge in the field to spotlight the role of the health visitor and the impact that early intervention can have.”

Read the call for evidence document

Go to the consultation

This call for evidence closes at

iHV awarded Silver BJN Award for Invisible film

The Institute of Health Visiting (iHV) is delighted to share that our Innovation and Research Team won the Silver Award at the British Journal of Nursing (BJN) Awards for their work around our film Invisible, which shines a light on fathers’ mental health. This was in the ‘Nurse/Nursing Team of the Year’ category and the only entry involving public health nurses/ health visitors, so we are really thrilled!

Dr Sharin Baldwin (Senior Health Visitor Research Lead, iHV) and Hilda Beauchamp (Perinatal & Infant Mental Health Lead, iHV) attended the Awards at BMA House in London on Friday 20 March 2026. The BJN Awards celebrate excellence in research and practice while recognising outstanding achievements across the nursing community.

From left: Dr Sharin Baldwin and Hilda Beauchamp

It is such a proud moment to receive this recognition, and we are delighted to have our work acknowledged at such a high-profile event. It highlights the importance of the subject at the heart of Invisible — the often overlooked emotional and mental wellbeing of fathers during the perinatal period – and the growing acknowledgement of fathers’ mental health as an important public health issue.

From left: Dr Sharin Baldwin and Hilda Beauchamp

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to The Burdett Trust for Nursing for funding this vital work. Their support has enabled us to bring greater visibility to an issue that too often remains hidden. We also acknowledge the exceptional contribution of creative director and producer Chris Godwin (Founder and Creative Director, Inner Eye Productions), whose thoughtful and sensitive approach was instrumental in shaping the film.

The film was grounded in the research carried out by Dr Sharin Baldwin, exploring men’s experiences in the transition to fatherhood. Alongside Sharin’s research, Invisible was shaped by interviews with practitioners, researchers, fathers, and parents from diverse backgrounds, whose experiences and insights brought depth and authenticity to the film.

We will be conducting a full evaluation of the impact of the film one year following its launch, so please watch the film and complete this short evaluation form INVISIBLE Film  Feedback Form  – Fill in form.

Watch the Invisible film here

Sharin said:

“This recognition is incredibly meaningful, not only for our team but for the fathers whose experiences shaped my research. Invisible was created to bring attention to this overlooked aspect of perinatal mental health, and this award helps amplify that message, highlighting the importance of recognising and supporting fathers as an integral part of family wellbeing.”

Hilda said:

“The iHV is extremely proud of Invisible and of the growing impact it is already having. We have already incorporated it into our Fathers’ PIMH Training programme where it is reaching multi-agency audiences. We would encourage all practitioners, services, educators and partners to watch Invisible, share it within their networks, and use it as a conversation starter to support improved awareness and practice around fathers’ mental health.”

To support your practice, please enrol on a future iHV Fathers’ PIMH Training (see here) or for further details contact [email protected]

Together, we can help ensure that no father remains invisible.

iHV launches new film to raise awareness of Fathers’ Mental Health

  • The mental wellbeing of new fathers is a public health crisis hidden in plain sight

Being screened at an exclusive launch event this evening in London to mark International Fathers’ Mental Health Day (Monday 16 June), the Institute of Health Visiting (iHV) is proud to announce its powerful and deeply moving new film “Invisible”. This poignant and touching film raises awareness of new fathers’ mental health and explores the factors impacting the emotional wellbeing of fathers following the arrival of a new baby.

At least 1 in 10 men are known to experience poor mental health around the time of birth1, and suicide remains the leading cause of death in men under 502. There is strong evidence that fathers’ mental health has significant impacts on their babies’ health and development, and the health of their partners, during pregnancy and beyond.

In addition, studies show that many new dads feel ignored and left out by services3 which may mean they don’t ask for help when they’re struggling. Services for families during pregnancy and the postnatal period remain strongly focused on mothers, leaving many men feeling ignored, excluded and reluctant to ask for help. There can be unique opportunities for midwives, health visitors and other healthcare professionals to identify any concerns and offer timely support.

iHV collaborated with Inner Eye Productions whose unique approach to filmmaking is focused on looking to change mindsets and drive system change and innovation across institutions. Thanks to funding from The Burdett Trust for Nursing, we were able to create Invisible. The film follows Luke’s story as he becomes a dad to baby Josh and seeks to understand the complex interplay of factors that impact men in the transition to fatherhood. The film will be used to train health visitors and other professionals to ensure that fathers are seen, heard and supported as they become a new dad. The film is based on the original idea by Dr Sharin Baldwin (Fathers’ Mental Health Researcher) and Chris Godwin (Creative Director at Inner Eye Productions).

Dr Sharin Baldwin, Senior Health Visitor Research Lead, Institute of Health Visiting, said:

“Invisible is grounded in research findings on fathers’ mental health and shaped by powerful interviews with dads who’ve faced real challenges. With this film, we want to raise awareness of a public health issue that’s often overlooked, and highlight the vital role that health visitors can play in supporting men’s mental health during the perinatal period, something that can make a real difference to the whole family.”

Chris Godwin, Owner and Creative Director at Inner Eye Productions, commented:

“Invisible is ultimately a film about masculinity – something which we, as a society, seem to grappling with at the moment. The suicide figures for young men speak for themselves. I really hope this film raises awareness of the psychological reality for fathers and gives clarity on the systems and processes that can see them being left out.”

Dan Blackman, Dad with lived experience and Dad Matters Operations Manager, added:

“It’s a privilege to be able to share my experiences in the hope we can increase awareness and reduce stigma around fathers’ mental health. If we can change the outcome for one dad, but hopefully many more, and they are able to reach out and not go through similar experiences to myself then I think I’ll call that a success.”

Film is a powerful catalyst for change. The big hope for Invisible is to engage hearts and change behaviours so that services, systems and society become more inclusive and supportive of new fathers and all babies, children and families get the best start in life.

To watch the film trailer, we suggest closing any blinds or curtains and dimming the lights. Please see a short trailer of the film here: https://vimeo.com/1080764761/583da9b7f8?share=copy

Click here to access the full INVISIBLE film and briefing notes

If you are experiencing any mental health concerns, please speak to your GP or health visitor, or contact  MIND (0300 102 1234) www.mind.org.uk.

Wales Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy

The iHV is delighted to celebrate the launch of the Wales Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and Delivery Plan. Published yesterday, the 10-year plan outlines ambitions to ensure people in Wales live in communities that:

  • promote and support mental health and wellbeing
  • give them the power to improve their mental health and wellbeing
  • are free from stigma and discrimination.

The strategy has been informed and shaped through extensive engagement with the public, people with lived experience and stakeholders, including the iHV, and sets out the key priorities needed to achieve these ambitions.

Specialist Health Visitors for Perinatal Mental Health in Wales have collectively reflected on the strategy, saying:

“We really welcome the focus on the importance of Infant Mental Health and the First 1000 days, particularly on improving support for parent-infant relationships.

“It’s so good to read the individual stories highlighting the important role that health visiting plays in identifying and supporting Perinatal Mental Health and Parent-Infant relationship difficulties.

“We look forward to seeing how the implementation of this strategy develops in Wales, so that all babies not only have the best start, but flourish across their life.”

Hilda Beauchamp, iHV PIMH Lead, says:

“Our submission to the strategy consultation last year urged recognition that good mental health requires a life course approach which includes a focus on the earliest years of life, from conception onwards. We are encouraged to see the all-age approach encompassed in the vision statements and the clear recognition given to the vital role of health visitors. We know that a well-resourced and appropriately trained health visiting workforce can provide clinical and cost-effective care to families. This can prevent mental health issues developing or escalating and ensure that families who need additional support receive it as soon as possible. The character story of Dan and baby Elijah beautifully illustrates the impact of a trusted health visitor relationship in improving paternal mental health and the father-baby relationship.”

Delivery plans to accompany the strategy and ensure best use of resources to achieve the vision will be developed, alongside the development of a ‘theory of change’ to set out the mechanism by which the strategy intends to achieve its outcomes. The success of the strategy in achieving long-term systemic change relies on continued collaboration, partnership working and shared ownership of mental health and wellbeing.

To read the strategy, including an easy read and a children and young people’s version, click here

Invest in Childhood: new report calls for Government action

Invest in Childhood: new report calling for Government action to prevent mental health problems in babies, children and young people.

The Centre for Mental Health has launched a new report focused on the critical issue of mental health for babies, children and young people and the imperative of addressing mental ill-health. The Invest in Childhood report sets out how the Government can act now to prevent mental health problems among children and young people. It explores the available evidence about how government can use its powers to boost family mental health, investing in what works and how to most effectively direct resources.

Invest in Childhood says that the Government can turn around the rise in mental health problems among children through evidence-based, cost-effective prevention strategies. The report identifies six critical areas for immediate action, from the perinatal period and early years, to schools and colleges, and through to entering the job market.

Of particular note to health visitors is the recommendation for expansion of the workforce and recognition of the unique role health visitors play in promoting good emotional health and wellbeing of the whole family. The report says that health visitors play a vital role in promoting good mental health in children and families, and in spotting the signs of mental health difficulties early. However, it recognises that the profession has faced successive cuts to the workforce, meaning that more children fall through the gaps of early support and go on to need specialist care. Invest in childhood calls on the Government to take action now, saying that boosting the number of health visitors will benefit babies, children and families for decades to come.

‘Health visiting is a cornerstone of early childhood support, offering a unique opportunity to engage with families during the formative years of a child’s life’

(Invest in Childhood report, 2025)

The report recommends the following:

  1. The UK Government should take steps to tackle the social determinants of children and young people’s mental health. Current legislation to improve workers’ and renters’ rights are welcome measures towards this aim. Action to tackle violence against women and girls, child poverty, and racial injustice will further address some of the biggest drivers of mental ill health among children and young people today. A whole government mental health strategy, backed up with a mental health policy test and a Mental Health Commissioner, would strengthen the machinery of government so that future policies are made with children’s mental health in mind.
  2. The UK Government should create a nationwide programme to invest in community-led mental health promotion and mental illness prevention activity. This could be modelled on the Better Mental Health Fund, to enable local councils across the country to support community initiatives to improve children’s mental wellbeing. This should focus on the most disadvantaged and marginalised neighbourhoods and groups of people in each locality.
  3. The UK Government should invest in evidence-based parenting programmes, adopting a proportionate universal approach with a low-cost offer for all and additional help for those who need it. Some local and combined authorities have begun to implement this locally.
  4. The UK Government should improve mental health support for mothers during the perinatal period, building on the expansion of specialist community services to provide a more comprehensive support offer.
  5. The UK Government should expand the health visitor and school nursing workforce. Public health nurses play a vital part in supporting children’s mental and physical health, and as such are a good long-term investment.
  6. The UK Government should support early years education settings, schools, colleges and universities to adopt a whole education approach to mental health. Applying a mental health policy test to education policies would further embed the whole school approach by providing greater consistency and evidence-based policies, for example around the curriculum and the ways behaviour and attendance are managed in schools.
  7. The UK Government should fulfil its manifesto pledge to establish an open access mental health hub in every community in England. These will provide early support for young people’s mental health, and also help with housing, employment and other essentials for young adults up to the age of 25 making the transition to working life. These issues should be central concerns of the Government’s forthcoming Youth Strategy

Hilda Beauchamp, PIMH Lead at iHV, said:

“This timely report draws our attention, again, to our most vulnerable citizens. The declining mental health of babies, children and young people in England requires an urgent, informed and co-ordinated response, especially in the current context of economic and global instability. We welcome the Centre for Mental Health’s recognition of the pivotal role that health visitors play in identifying early signs of mental health difficulties in babies and young children and providing essential support and early intervention to families. We would urge the Government to heed the evidence highlighting the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a well-resourced health visiting service and respond urgently to the recommendation to expand the workforce.”

The report concludes that the evidence is clear: to secure a brighter future for babies, children and young people, we must invest in childhood. By harnessing the possibilities that technology brings, building on the evidence of what makes a difference, and creating health-enhancing environments, we can empower young people and families, support educators, and tackle the broader challenges of disadvantage. These actions are essential steps towards preventing mental health problems and fostering a generation of young people who are healthy, resilient, and capable of achieving their full potential.

Click here to go to the report

Read Institute of Health Promotion and Education Rapid Response to report published in BMJ:

BMJ: Charity calls for more health visitors and school nurses to tackle rise in child mental ill health

New term – new opportunities for learning!

Now that the back-to-school rush and freshers’ weeks are over we can look to our own professional development and opportunities for learning this autumn!

Where better to start than with the iHV training offer. If you haven’t seen our latest programme recently, do take a look – we have a broad programme of interesting topics offered as individual places to support your learning. See our latest programme information here:

Our formats are participatory and interactive, delivered accessibly via Zoom by our talented team of specialist facilitators, alongside expert speakers by experience keeping the voice of parents and carers central in our work. Our programmes are multi-agency because we believe when we train together, we work together better – and that has to be better for families. They are also CPD accredited by an independent verifier, so you can be sure of the quality of learning.

Join us for:

  • Spotlight Learn workshops
  • Half-day and one-day Ambassador training
  • One-day and two-day Champion training

Many of our programmes can now be booked directly online – or using an application form which can be simply downloaded from our website page and returned to us at our email address.

iHV Fathers & PMH Champions

Date: 8 October 2024 (one day)
Who is it suitable for: All practitioners working with families perinatally
Cost per place: £260.00 iHV Member / £290.00 Non-Member
Booking information: click here

NEW! iHV Spotlight Learn – Supporting the PMH of Autistic Mothers & Birthing People

Date: 9 October 2024 (2.5 hours)
Who is it suitable for: All practitioners working with families perinatally
Cost per place: £45.00 iHV Member/ £50.00 Non-Member (or group discount available)
Booking information: click here

iHV Emotional Wellbeing Visits Champions

Date: 14 & 15 October 2024 (two days)
Who is it suitable for: Health visitors & PIMH Champions
Cost per place: £490.00 iHV Member / £535.00 Non-Member
Booking information: click here

NEW! iHV Spotlight Learn – Encouraging Self-Feeding & Supporting ‘Fussy’ Eaters

Date: 5 November 2024 (2.5 hours)
Who is it suitable for: All practitioners working with families in the early years period
Cost per place: £45.00 iHV Member/ £50.00 Non-Member (or group discount available)
Booking information: click here

iHV LGBTQI+ People & PMH Champions

Date: 6 November 2024 (one day)
Who is it suitable for: All practitioners working with families perinatally
Cost per place: £260.00 iHV Member / £290.00 Non-Member
Booking information: click here

iHV Perinatal & Infant Mental Health Champions

Date: 12 & 13 November 2024 (two days)
Who is it suitable for: All practitioners working with families perinatally
Cost per place: £475.00 iHV Member / £520.00 Non-Member
Booking information: click here

iHV Changing Conversations: Autism & Supporting Behaviour Ambassadors

Date: 18 November 2024 (one days)
Who is it suitable for: All practitioners working with families in the early years period
Cost per place: £250.00 iHV Member / £275.00 Non-Member
Booking information: click here

NEW! iHV Spotlight Learn – Supporting the PMH of parents whose babies are born pre-term, sick or with a disability

Date: 20 November 2024 (2.5 hours)
Who is it suitable for: All practitioners working with families perinatally
Cost per place: £45.00 iHV Member/ £50.00 Non-Member (or group discount available)
Booking information: click here

iHV Healthy Weight Healthy Nutrition Ambassadors

Date: 28 November 2024 (one day)
Who is it suitable for: All practitioners working with families in the early years period
Cost per place: £250.00 iHV Member / £275.00 Non-Member
Booking information: click here

iHV Leadership Conference – Change for the Better: Leading towards a fairer & equitable future – London/Online

Date: 4 December 2024 (one day)
Who is it suitable for: HVs, health visiting leaders, policymakers, academics and partners from all nations of the UK
Cost per place: In person – £118.00 iHV Member / £177.00 Non-Member
Online – £100.00 iHV Member / £150.00 Non-Member
Booking information: click here

NEW! iHV Spotlight Learn – Ready to Learn (Aspects of Social & Emotional Development)

Date: 10 December 2024 (2.5 hours)
Who is it suitable for: All practitioners working with families in the early years period
Cost per place: £45.00 iHV Member/ £50.00 Non-Member (or group discount available)
Booking information: click here

This Mum Moves Ambassadors – delivered in partnership with the Active Pregnancy Foundation

Date: 16 December 2024 (half day)
Who is it suitable for: All practitioners working with pregnant and new mothers
Cost per place: £175.00 flat rate
Booking information: click here

NEW! iHV Genomics Ambassadors

Date: 9 January 2025 (one day)
Who is it suitable for: Health Visitors
Cost per place: £250.00 iHV Member / £275.00 Non-Member
Booking information: click here

iHV Leading Excellence in Practice programme

Date: Spring 2025
Who is it suitable for: Recruiting the Spring 2025 cohort now! Looking for aspiring Band 6 & 7 health visitors
Enquire re: dates & costs: [email protected]
Further information: click here

All dates and costs correct at point of publication (September 2024).

Do let us know if you have any questions – [email protected] – or if there is a subject you wish we would cover let us know as we are always keen to hear!

We look forward to seeing you this Autumn!!

Share your Perinatal Mental Health Journey

Are you or someone you know, a parent who has experienced mental health problems while you were pregnant or after having your baby, such as depression, anxiety, OCD, or psychosis? Would you be willing to share your story with professionals who work with families during the perinatal period?

We are currently looking for lived experience speakers to join our training events; specifically parents from Black, Black Mixed, Asian or other minoritised ethnic groups; parents from the LGBTQI+ community; and teenage parents.

The iHV Mental Health Team is committed to improving the wellbeing of all babies, children, and their families. Training healthcare professionals across the UK, including midwives, health visitors and psychologists, and early years practitioners, is a fundamental part of this work. Our training programmes have won national and international awards, and we believe the main reason for their success is keeping the voice of the family at the heart. Parents are involved at every step, and our lived experience speakers are one of the most highly valued parts of our training.

A key focus of our work is tackling inequalities in mental health and developing inclusive practice – so that all families are provided with safe, personalised, high-quality care. We need your voice so that our training is truly representative of the diverse communities that we work alongside.

Download our information leaflet here

For more information and to find out how to be involved email [email protected].

Launch of mental health in infancy & early childhood UK toolkit

The mental health of babies and young children is important for their wellbeing now, and critical for their future health and development. These earliest years are a time of rapid development and offer the best chance to lay strong foundations for good mental health. Many people, however, do not really know what being mentally healthy means, especially for babies and young children.

The iHV is delighted to support today’s launch of UNICEF UK and The University of Cambridge Play in Education, Development & Learning (PEDAL) Centre’s new resource ‘Understanding and supporting mental health in infancy and early childhood -a toolkit to support local action in the UK’ that aims to promote a shared understanding of what is meant by mental health in the early years.

Hilda Beauchamp, Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Lead at iHV, said:

“We have been privileged to collaborate with UNICEF UK and PEDAL to produce this important toolkit, highlighting what can be done to support babies’ and young children’s mental health and wellbeing. Health visitors have a vital role to play in ensuring that all babies grow up being mentally healthy: able to understand and manage their emotions, experience nurturing relationships and be able to explore, play and learn.

“This toolkit will help to ensure a more effective whole system approach for health visitors to work alongside their multi-agency colleagues in developing a shared understanding of babies’ and young children’s mental health and see the contributions they can make. Supporting multi-sector working, along with addressing inequalities that affect families, can help to give babies and young children the best start in life.”

The toolkit aims to:

  • Help partners from different services and professions to develop a deeper, shared understanding of mental health in infancy and early childhood, and the factors that influence it
  • Support service leaders, commissioners and other decision makers and policy teams to develop whole-system responses to ensure babies and young children are mentally healthy now and are supported to develop the skills they need to continue to be mentally healthy throughout their lives
  • Provide resources, signposting, and conversation guides to support constructive local discussions, decisions and action about the needs of babies and young children in their area, and what more might be done to respond to these needs (including through strategy development across mental health, maternity, early years or Family Hubs and Start for Life).

Go to ‘Understanding and supporting mental health in infancy and early childhood -a toolkit to support local action in the UK’

New resource to Support High-Quality Perinatal Mental Health Care

iHV and the Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA) are proud to share a new resource and accompanying evidence to support high-quality Perinatal Mental Health (PMH) Care.

The Institute has worked closely with the MMHA for many years to bring about positive change for the mental health and wellbeing of families and there have been huge strides made, but there is still some way to go:

  • At least 1 in 5 women experience a PMH problem, making mental illness the most common serious health problem that a woman might experience in the perinatal period.
  • Suicide is still the leading cause of death for women when looking across the perinatal period.
  • The 2022 MBRRACE report again highlighted gaps in mortality rates between women from deprived and affluent areas, women of different ages, and women from different ethnic groups.
  • Evidence continues to show that people, who identify as LGBTQI+, experience prejudice and discrimination generally and within healthcare services which can lead to worse physical and mental health in the perinatal period.

This latest project brought us together to think about how we can support developing PMH systems across all four nations. The changing landscape of how care is accessed and delivered offers an opportunity for systems to come together to support inclusive high quality family mental health care and this is what led to the latest collaboration between the iHV and MMHA.  It has led to the iHV undertaking an evidence review, which we feel will be incredibly useful for families, practitioners and services.

The Evidence Review, conducted by the iHV, is is a comprehensive desktop review that brings together key publications, policy guidance, toolkits, research, and reports of families’ and practitioners’ lived experiences. The focus of the review is “what does high-quality perinatal mental health care look like?” for women, birthing people and their families. Key themes and principles emerging from the evidence review are captured in the related resource:

Supporting High-Quality Perinatal Mental Health Care is the new resource drawn from the Evidence Review. It provides a strengths-based action template to enable and inform high-quality care for families impacted by PMH problems – enabling individuals to come together and plan “what good looks like” for them, as practitioners, services, professions, organisations, pathways, networks, and systems. This new resource highlights:

  1. Why improving PMH care is crucial
  2. What good care looks like to both practitioners and families with lived experience
  3. 10 principles of best practice
Read MMHA's news story on the launch of these resources

Karen Middleton, Head of Campaigns and Policy, MMHA, says:

“The iHV’s literature review has been incredibly helpful to understand the wealth of information out there on maternal mental health and what action is still needed to ensure high-quality care is available to all who need it. During the review, several recurring themes quickly emerged as well as clear opportunities for learning across the system, as highlighted in the final resource.

“In recent years, there has been a welcome increase in the understanding of the impact of maternal mental health problems. However, many still face huge barriers to accessing essential care. I hope this work will encourage local systems to have collaborative conversations and help them continue to develop services that provide high-quality maternal mental health support for women and birthing people, babies, and families across the UK.”

 Melita Graham, Head of Mental Health, iHV, says:

“Family mental health and wellbeing is complex and, whilst individuals, different professions and services can, and do, make a huge difference – we know that by joining the junctions and pulling together we can achieve so much more. Working closely with the Alliance I have seen the power of collective effort and the positive differences this has made. This latest project aims to support all parts of the PMH system to come together, to think together and to act together – we know that when people with a common interest come together, great things can happen!

“The Institute is committed to promoting family mental health and wellbeing, addressing inequalities and driving change. Alongside the MMHA and other partners, we won’t stop until every family, has access to high quality mental health care in the perinatal period. We very much hope that these new resources will enable high quality perinatal mental care irrespective of where a family may live in the UK.”

Download Supporting High-Quality Perinatal Mental Health Care Resource

Download Evidence Review - Supporting High-Quality Perinatal Mental Health Care: What does good look like?

Celebrating iHV’s achievements in family mental health and looking ahead

Just before the end of 2022, the iHV celebrated its 10th birthday and, reflecting on those years, we feel incredibly privileged to have worked alongside so many inspiring people. Year on year, the iHV Mental Health Team has been part of some phenomenal partnerships, delivering a difference for families – and this last year is no exception. Thank you to you all.

Our Mental Health Team report, published today, looks back and celebrates what we have collectively achieved from January 2022 to January 2023 – despite the challenges. We hope you enjoy it – and we hope that during 2023, as part of enabling your own wellbeing and future successes, you also take the time to celebrate your achievements.

Reflecting on the last 10 years, Melita Graham, iHV Head of Mental Health Dept, said:

I came into the iHV because I believed it was the organisation that would offer me the most opportunity to make the biggest difference, in my lifetime, to the lives of babies and their families. After 10 years, my conviction is even stronger, and without exception, each member of the iHV Mental Health Team shares this belief.

Such a lot has happened in the world in the last year and with the pivot to online working, beside the increased need of mental health support for families because of the pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis and widening inequalities, the professional pace of life is staggering.

Throughout 2022, we have stayed close to health visitors and iHV Champions on the ground, parents with lived experience and our partner organisations. We know how tough it is for families and for health visitors and our partners across the mental health system supporting families. The iHV Survey 2022 makes for sobering reading and the 2022 MBRRACE report yet again showed that suicide is still the leading cause of death for women when looking across the perinatal period. Both reports add weight to the mounting evidence of the unacceptable and preventable widening inequalities across the UK.

The iHV has worked hard alongside you in 2022 to drive change and, going into 2023, we are deeply committed to making sure that the voices of babies and their families are heard. Alongside our partners, we won’t stop until every family, irrespective of where they live, has access to a health visitor who has the right qualities, competence, and capacity to deliver high-quality, personalised, and compassionate family mental health care.

To achieve this, we must make self-care for ourselves and each other a priority. All too often, we move on to the next thing without stopping to acknowledge and consider the challenges overcome, the distance travelled, the differences we have made, and what we need to sustain our energy and our hope for the future. At our final iHV Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Forum in December 2022, iHV PIMH Champions came together and celebrated what they had achieved – despite the challenges. Each one of us went away feeling more supported, buoyed, re-energised and inspired! We are all looking forward to building our connections in 2023 and beyond.

Alison Morton, Executive Director iHV, said:

“I am delighted to see today’s report published which sets out the phenomenal achievements of the iHV’s Mental Health team in the last 12 months. Supporting families’ mental health  is a priority for the Institute and for the nation – we are privileged to have such a highly skilled team leading this work. Congratulations to each member of the iHV’s mental health team for their achievements and Melita Graham for her inspiring leadership.

“I hope that you will enjoy reading today’s report which showcases the numerous award-winning and innovative PIMH programmes that are being delivered across the UK by the iHV, and in partnership with others, to support practitioners in their work with families and better mental health across the lifecourse.”

Download iHV Mental Health Report 2022/23