Supporting the best start in life for children in Northern Ireland Infant Mental Health Supporting the best start in life for children in Northern Ireland

Aims for today Define infant mental health Introduce the Infant Mental Health (IMH) Framework for Northern Ireland Explore developmental delay/disability in context of infant mental health

What is Infant Mental Health? Focus on social & emotional development for infant (0-3) & family Ability to form relationships Recognising & expressing emotions Exploring & learning about their environment in a safe and happy way

Underpinning theory Attachment: strong infant-caregiver bond develops through positive, responsive behaviours; securely attached infants = social & emotional confidence to build relationships & explore world around them Self-regulation: infant’s ability to regulate own internal emotional states (self-soothing)as a building block for healthy external relationship Building resilience: linked to self-regulation; Infant’s ability to ‘bounce-back’ & to learn from difficult or traumatic experiences; supports managing adversity in later life.

Whole Child Approach to IMH

Disability & Developmental Delay Parental attitude, adjustment and support networks Complexity of needs Impact of medical interventions on attachment IMH knowledge/skills of professionals Lack of evidence & research

‘Supporting the best start in life’ IMH Framework for NI ‘Supporting the best start in life’

Background & Context 2010-16: Stakeholder engagement; expert advice & local practice 2012: Auditing IMH training & resources 2012-13: Gap analysis on training 2015: Formal consultation 2016: Framework launch Growing body of evidence informing: Our understanding of how child’s brain develops 0-3 years and; the impact the emotional world into which they are born has on their future health and well-being.

IMH Framework for NI: Vision The aim of the IMH framework is to ensure that all children have the best start in life by prioritising and supporting the development of positive social and emotional wellbeing

IMH Framework: Objectives Better understanding of social and emotional infant health and importance of attachment Better skills to positively engage infants and maximise social & emotional development Better and earlier responses to predictors of vulnerability, delay and emotional distress Appropriate services, clear referral pathways on an equal basis for all.

IMH Framework: Key Priorities Promote and disseminate evidence and research Inform workforce development Inform service development 1 2 3

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT Core baseline knowledge of IMH IMH training early in career Build on investment in Solihull Approach Support & supervision to embed learning Continuity of care in service provision Incorporate IMH into curriculum (PSHE)

Solihull Approach: 3 components Containment   Helping parents process emotions and anxieties that are overwhelming restores parents’ ability to think and enables them to help the child cope with his/her emotions and anxieties. The professional actively listens, putting the story together with the parent, before giving any advice or behaviour management. Reciprocity Focuses attention on the attunement between parent and child, enabling the professional to then work with this aspect of the relationship. This help practitioners and parents see how the parents and child interact and improves parental attention to child’s needs. Behaviour Management Process of helping parents work with their child’s behaviour. Techniques and strategies are customised together with the family and based on learning from containment and reciprocity.

Thinking about IMH and you… How much of this feels a) new; b) relevant? What else do you need/want to know? Are you hungry?

Thank you! For more information: dmcaliskey@ncb.org.uk 028 9087 5006 National Children’s Bureau www.ncb.org.uk ncbtweets ncbfb