New mothers should be interviewed by health visitors to see how they are coping with parenthood, according to a Government-backed study.www.telegraph.co.uk
26 March 2013
Cutting short maternity leave is not a choice mothers should have to make says Anne Longfield OBE, Chief Executive of 4Children, www.4children.org.uk
Next AIMH UK clinical workshop at the Tavistock Centre, London. Members £45, non-members £75 (includes 1 years membership to AIMH (UK)), students £30 (subject to eligibility)
2013 (7 September 2013): Dr Suzanne Zeedyk- 'Sharing vs. Caring: Why the infant mental health community needs to think more about the differences between intersubjectivity and attachment', download flyer here download Application Form here or email info@aimh.org.uk
WAIMH 2014 World Association for Infant Mental Health World Congress, hosted by AIMH (UK), 14-18 June 2014, Edinburgh Conference Centre. Register your interest here
Quote from Report "If we were to sum up the achievements of the Association I think it is fair to say that we have made a major contribution to bringing about a massive cultural shift here towards an understanding of infant mental health and the importance of early intervention" Eamon McMahon
The Guardian 17 October 2012. Patrick Butler, Social Policy Editor
Social workers forced to focus on family crises due to coalition cuts, study says
Erosion of 'lighter touch' preventative services for children happening despite government's commitment to early intervention. Click on link below.
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS - The International Society on Early Intervention (ISEI) is accepting proposals for papers, symposia, and posters for their ISEI Regional Conference to be held in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation - July 1-3, 2013 'Early Intervention to Promote Child Development and Mental Health: From Institutional Care to Family Environment. ISEI are seeking abstracts addressing a wide range of topics in the field of early intervention and mental health. Keynote Speakers: Rifkat J. Muhamedrahimov, Ph.D. Joy D. Osofsky, Ph.D. Arnold J. Sameroff, Ph.D. Questions can be sent via email to isei@uw.edu, or visit website for more information. http://depts.washington.edu/isei/
12 September 2012: Why Secure Early Bonding is Essential for Babies - what happens between conception and the age of two shapes the adult a child will become - Andrea Leadsom. Access article here www.guardian.co.uk
Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust Short Training Courses. Access information from website. www.tavistockandportman.ac.uk
Launch of consultation on updated Baby Friendly standards
Following a review process, UNICEF UK has launched a consultation on proposed updated standards for the Baby Friendly Initiative. The consultation ran until Friday 27 July.
This review has taken the learning from the hundreds of facilities implementing the standards and the current evidence base in order to update the standards so that they continue to support public services to implement the best possible care for mothers and babies in the UK. Access information here
ANNOUNCEMENT November 2012 We are delighted to welcome three new Committee Members to AIMH (UK), elected on to the Committee at our AGM on 3 November 2012. They are Dr Tejonder Kondel-Lawes, Service Lead: Parent Infant Psychology Service (PIPS), Haringey & Principal Lecturer, DClinPsy: University of Hertfordshire. Dr Margy Whalley, Director of Research, Training and Development, Pen Green Research Base, Pen Green Centre for Children and Families and Julie Revels who has designed and delivered training and supported Continuing Professional Development for over 22 years in education and childcare. She has worked with many well known national children’s organisations to offer training for those working with disabled children and their parents. She currently works as a tutor for a Foundation degree module course ‘Including children with special needs and disabilities in the Early years’ as well as the nationally accredited Masters modules for Special Educational Needs Coordinators in schools.
CLINICAL WORKSHOP 3 March 2012 We had a packed house at the Tavistock Centre for Dr Felicity de Zulueta's workshop on 3rd March. It was good to see everyone and thank you all for the extremely good feedback we received from you. You'll find Felicity's powerpoint presentation uploaded on to the presentations page in easy to print, 'hand-out' format.
Message from Amanda Jones, Honorary Associate Professor of Warwick Medical School and head of North East London NHS Foundation Trust's Tier 3 Perinatal Parent Infant Mental Health Service. Committee Member AIMH UK
The 'All Babies Count' report launches the NSPCC's campaign to highlight the amount of babies that are currently growing up in homes in which circumstances of parental mental illness, domestic abuse and substance misuse are very real problems. The report highlights all the kind of interventions that can make a real difference. Please click on the link below to access the report. There is also an excellent short film about the campaign. http://allbabiescount.nspcc.org.uk.
Chris Cuthbert from the NSPCC IS organising a series of events this year (2012) to further promote the campaign. Chris and Jane Barlow and Angela Underdown frm Warwick Medical School have all supported me in making 5 documentaries called 'Breakdown or Breakthrough' which will be available online very soon and, again, will be used to support the ABC (All Babaies Count) campaign. Please sign up your support of this extremely valuable campaign. Thank you
NEW JOURNAL 2011 The NHSA Dialog: A Research-to-Practice Journal for the Early Childhood Field is a peer-reviewed journal and is specifically interested in research papers highlighting innovative and/or evidence-based practices of early childhood programs to improve the well-being of young children and their low-income families. Areas of consideration include: child health and mental health; normative child development; community issues such as neighborhood violence and homelessness; family support and self-sufficiency; multicultural issues; new measures, methods, and analytic strategies; parenting and parent involvement and engagement; quality issues in early childhood education; transitions from home to school; and programmatic and policy issues related to service delivery.
The mission of NHSA Dialog: A Research-to-Practice Journal for the Early Childhood Field is to: (a) develop and sustain a quality publication that provides a forum for two-way communication between researchers and practitioners, (b) ensure that research results are effectively translated for practice and policy, and (c) provide ongoing reporting of the results to the broader community in order to obtain continuing feedback. Click here http://www.nhsa.org/research to learn more about the journal, including manuscript submission and subscription information. We are working to increase the international scope of the journal, so manuscripts from overseas are especially welcomed. The journal is published under the Routledge label by the Taylor & Francis Group.
Postscript - The journal is seeking new reviewers to peer review its articles. If you want to be considered as a peer reviewer for the journal, please email Dr. Richard Lambert at rglamber@uncc.edu mailto:rglamber@uncc.edu. This is an excellent opportunity for junior scholars to build their curricula vitae. http://www.nhsa.org/ TRUST LAUNCHES NEW INFANT WELLBEING PLAN, Londonderry Sentinel, published on Thursday 9th June 2011. The Western Health and Social Care Trust (WHSCT) has launched its Infant Mental Health Strategy.The new strategy focuses on early childhood mental and emotional wellbeing as well as the importance of a supportive environment from pregnancy onwards.......more here Tameside and Glossop Early Attachment Service, DVD and Booklet on attachment and bonding for new parents, 'Getting it Right from the Start'. This resource will be given to every new parent in Tameside and Glossop. Download all details here
AIMH (UK) Membership, Special Offer for Children's Centres
Children's Centres are models of integrated service provision, where Primary Care Trusts, Local Authorities, Jobcentre Plus, Education and Childcare Providers, Social Services, and Community and Voluntary Agencies work together to deliver seamless holistic services. They are here to ensure that every child gets the best start in life and to give parents more choice about how to balance work and family life. Contact info@aimh.org.uk for more information The Guardian - Article, Sarah Boseley, Health Editor 'Leaving Baby to cry could damage brain development, parenting guru claims' Neurobiologists say high levels of stress hormone cortisol are 'toxic' to the developing brain, according to Penelope Leach. Access article through link below. www.guardian.co.uk
