Multi-Agency Perinatal Mental Health Awareness Training – JOIN US…limited availability

We have limited availability for our Multi-Agency Perinatal Mental Health Awareness training on Wednesday 16 October 2019. It is a rare opportunity to experience our one day PMH Awareness training alongside other practitioners from a variety of professional backgrounds.

Please note: this training does not support an onward cascade – it is not a Champions programme. It is designed for individual direct learning and development for multi-agency.

The training event is suited to a wide range of practitioners working alongside women perinatally (including neonatal nurses, midwives, social workers, early years workers, parent support workers) and will include presentations, activities and discussions around:

Perinatal mental illness and why it matters;
Recognition and management;
Safeguarding and risk;
Everyone’s business: your role, communication and interventions.

“It was extremely informative and helpful for my role” (Neonatal nurse – 2018)

“I came into the session not knowing anything about PMH. Every session appropriate” (Parent support worker – 2018)

“I feel more confident in approaching the subject and being able to signpost/refer parents to the appropriate services. I will ensure details of services are readily available to other staff on the ward” (Midwife – 2018)

We can increase practitioner confidence in practice around working perinatally with mothers and their families who may have perinatal mental health issues.

Come and learn more about PMH – what it is, why it matters and what you can do to help.

New training date: 16 October 2019

Location: London

How to book

Places are strictly limited – for more information or to book a place – please contact: [email protected]
or book online:

Go to online booking for 16 October 2019

New dates – Multi-Agency PIMH Champions Training for individuals

New training date: 10 and 11 July 2019

Location: London

Following previous sell out events, we are offering a further rare opportunity to access a place to train as a Multi-Agency iHV Champion for Perinatal & Infant Mental Health via our highly acclaimed integrated programme.

The programme is an accredited 2 day course which will cover a wide and updated programme content supported by contemporaneous evidence and policy underpinning practice.

This training has been specifically designed to support an onward cascade across a multi-agency audience to ensure that all staff working alongside mothers and their families perinatally can access awareness training.

For more details and how to book

More Multi-agency Perinatal Mental Health Champions for London

London Perinatal Mental Health Network

We are thrilled to announce the continuation of our fantastic partnership working with the London Perinatal Mental Health Network.

Following on from our earlier pilot training programme for 22 champions during early 2015 in the London Boroughs of Barnet, Enfield and Haringey, this week sees the start of the roll-out of a further 68 Multi-agency Perinatal Mental Health Champions receiving training provided by the Institute of Health Visiting, with practitioners drawn from both maternity and multi-agency backgrounds.

Jo Maitland, London Perinatal Mental Health Network Coordinator, and her team have recruited over 40 new multi-agency participants and more than 20 participants from maternity backgrounds as Perinatal Champions for this new training commission.

Throughout October, we will be delivering three two-day training events of our newly-updated Multi-agency Perinatal Mental Health Champions training programme. The programme has been designed to equip champions to provide awareness training, cascading information in pairs to cohorts of multi-agency colleagues via a flexible onward-cascade of half and one day awareness training sessions as part of the network’s wider plan.

This will help ensure that all practitioners involved in the care of women during the perinatal period have the skills and knowledge to recognise, detect and support perinatal mental health problems, in recognition that multi-agency working is central to providing coordinated care during the perinatal period and is crucial to better outcomes for women and their families.

The London Perinatal Mental Health Network’s objective for their Champions mirrors the Institute of Health Visiting’s own aim in the development of the role, that Perinatal Mental Health Champions are:

ambassadors for perinatal mental health within their local area;
involved in developing integrated perinatal mental health care pathways;
act as a central resource to colleagues;
empower colleagues to raise parity of esteem for perinatal mental health;
and promote evidence-based practice at all levels.

The training has been funded by Health Education North Central East London (HENCEL), which covers 12 Boroughs.

For more information on our Perinatal Mental Health training programmes and options for bespoke training please contact: [email protected] or phone Philippa Bishop – iHV Training Programme Manager on: 07539 117775.

Multi-agency statutory guidance on female genital mutilation

This multi-agency guidance on female genital mutilation (FGM) should be read and followed by all persons and bodies in England and Wales who are under statutory duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and vulnerable adults. It replaces female genital mutilation: guidelines to protect children and women (2014).

This guidance should be considered together with other relevant safeguarding guidance, including (but not limited to):

It is not intended to replace wider safeguarding guidance, but to provide additional advice on FGM.

This guidance has three key functions:

to provide information on FGM, including on the law on FGM in England and Wales;
to provide strategic guidance on FGM for chief executives, directors and senior managers of persons and bodies mentioned above, or of third parties exercising public protection functions on behalf of those persons or bodies;
to provide advice and support to front-line professionals who have responsibilities to safeguard and support women and girls affected by FGM, in particular to assist them in:
- identifying when a girl or young woman may be at risk of FGM and responding appropriately;
- identifying when a girl or woman has had FGM and responding appropriately; and
- implementing measures that can prevent and ultimately help end the practice of FGM.

This guidance encourages agencies to cooperate and work together to protect and support those at risk of, or who have undergone, FGM.

Download Multi-agency guidance on female genital mutilation (FGM)