1. Early Intervention Infant Mental Health in North Lincolnshire
SAFE | WELL | PROSPEROUS | CONNECTED
Early Intervention
Infant Mental Health in North Lincolnshire
Verity Gardiner, Early Years Officer, IMH lead

2. What is infant mental health?
SAFE | WELL | PROSPEROUS | CONNECTED
What is infant mental health?
The importance of infant mental health isn’t always recognised in the same way as it is for older children and adults.
Babies develop positive mental health through receiving consistently responsive and loving care which teaches them that the world is a safe place.
This helps them to better manage their emotions and form positive relationships as they grow and develop.
When babies learn how to do this early on they grow into toddlers and children who are better prepared for exploration and learning.

3. Infant mental health manifesto
SAFE | WELL | PROSPEROUS | CONNECTED
Infant mental health manifesto
Key messages agreed and promoted via:
North Lincolnshire Council including the early years team, children’s centres, family support team (FaSST) and statutory social work team
NHS NLAG – Midwifery team, NICU
NHS RdASH – Health visiting team
NHS Clinical Commissioning Group

4. Why is infant mental health important?
SAFE | WELL | PROSPEROUS | CONNECTED
Why is infant mental health important?
Advances in science are showing us that the kind of environment babies experience and in particular, the parenting they receive physically shapes their developing brain. This process begins even before the baby is born.
There is now a wide range of evidence that demonstrates the importance of the period from conception to age two in terms of laying the foundations for later life, including physical and mental health, language development and learning.

5. Why is infant mental health important?
SAFE | WELL | PROSPEROUS | CONNECTED
Why is infant mental health important?
The development of a loving, trusting and secure attachment relationship between parent and baby is crucial for later outcomes including readiness for school. This depends on a child knowing that their parent / carer will keep them safe and helping them to manage strong feelings.
This is a key factor in determining to what extent individuals will make the most of life’s opportunities, including education, and how they will manage later relationships with partners and their own children.
The period of life between conception and age 3 is the time of most influence with the prime time for emotional development up to the age of 18 months.
The most important part of this experience is the relationships we experience
Our ‘internal working model’ of relationships is developed from significant, early (pre-verbal) relationships
The brain develops its main neurological network during this period – the architecture of the brain reflects early experiences
One of the most important tasks during infancy and early childhood is learning how to begin to regulate one’s emotions. Children who develop an ability to do this effectively are much less likely to develop emotional and behavioural problems later in life.
Parenting that is consistently responsive, particularly to children’s distress, is crucial to the development of a secure attachment and to the regulation of emotion.
Secure attachment promotes later resilience. Resilience is defined as ‘a dynamic process encompassing positive adaptation within the context of significant adversity’ (Luthar et al 2007 p1).
Approximately 35-40% of all parent-infant attachments are sub-optimal.
Intervention can be most effectively offered, and is most economical during the 1001 day period
There is now a substantial body of research showing associations between infant parent attachment security later psychological and behavioural development. Associated outcomes identified in the literature include:
self-esteem
cognitive abilities
language development
persistence in solving problems,
peer relations and capacity to form and maintain positive relationships with others
emotional wellbeing
ability to learn (the ‘soft’ skills that equip a child to relate to others, thrive and then go on to learn the ‘hard’ cognitive skills needed to succeed academically are embedded in the earliest months of life).

6. SAFE | WELL | PROSPEROUS | CONNECTED
Achieved standard three locally 2017 – HV and CC
Responsive feeding and the importance of close and loving relationships

7. ‘Building a happy baby’
SAFE | WELL | PROSPEROUS | CONNECTED
‘Building a happy baby’
Midwife
Children’s centre – displays
Myth busting! Example – spoiling baby, self soothing / independence, routine, importance of being responsive, loving and close
Research base

8. ‘Coping with crying’ NCPCC
SAFE | WELL | PROSPEROUS | CONNECTED
‘Coping with crying’ NCPCC
Children’s centre – displays

9. Infant mental health support:
SAFE | WELL | PROSPEROUS | CONNECTED
Infant mental health support:
Perinatal MW and HV
Universal support and key messages
Intensive family support service including
Neonatal Behaviour Observation and baby massage – HV team
Solihull approach antenatal and postnatal baby
groups – ‘the journey to parenthood’ and ‘understanding your baby’ – referrals from health, social services etc.
Primary caregiving in childcare provision
Support for foster carers and adoptive parents
Links with PN mental health strategy needed
Solihull – containment, reciprocity and behaviour

10. Key messages: A baby’s brain is a bit like dough…parents and
SAFE | WELL | PROSPEROUS | CONNECTED
Key messages:
A baby’s brain is a bit like dough…parents and
environment physically shape their
developing brain.
A baby’s cries are designed to tell
an adult they need something and get
help, just like an alarm
When babies cry they need an adult to give
them loving care and attention.
Babies can easily become over-whelmed by
their feelings if they are not helped to calm
down…a bit like a bucket getting full and
overflowing.
Safe haven – to go towards
Secure base – to explore from

11. Key messages: Parents / carers provide emotional support
SAFE | WELL | PROSPEROUS | CONNECTED
Key messages:
Parents / carers provide emotional support
for babies like an anchor in a stormy sea
This helps babies to trust their parents,
become calmer and to manage their strong emotions now
and in the future
It frees up space in their
bucket for more talking, exploring
and playing
The back and forth communication between parent and
baby is a bit like a game of table tennis where the baby and parent hit the ball back to each other.
By responding to your baby you are building their brain and building their future!
Safe haven – to go towards
Secure base – to explore from
Serve and return

12. National IMH awareness week
SAFE | WELL | PROSPEROUS | CONNECTED
National IMH awareness week
June 2018
Attachment – focus
Promotion of key messages around babies relying on adult for help and gaining attention via crying.
Importance of thinking about how the baby is feeling even if don’t always know and acting on their distress / communication by helping them to calm down.
Importance of emotional needs being met not just physical care giving.
EMOTIONAL REGULATION KEY - involves brain and stress response system - babies can become easily overwhelmed.
80% brain dev by age 3
2 million brain connections per second

13. Solihull postnatal baby group
SAFE | WELL | PROSPEROUS | CONNECTED
Solihull postnatal baby group
8 parents and 4 babies
I have learnt that they need a breather…they will tell you when they have had enough’
‘I got to know my baby’
‘My mind-set has changed. I know she is a person and an individual. I try to work out what she wants’.
‘It was amazing. It helped me build confidence and make friends. It’s been a big learning curve for me’
Extended from Jan 2019
‘I respond differently to her now…I say daddy is here, you are safe’
‘To get a response out of him we have to respond to what he shows us first…like back and forth

14. SAFE | WELL | PROSPEROUS | CONNECTED
Further information:
All parents can access support regarding caring for their babies from their midwife, health visitor or children’s centre
For more information re the infant mental health project:
Children’s centre – displays