The Infant Mental Health (IMH) Framework was published in 2016 by the Public Health Agency, following substantial engagement with key stakeholders, as well as public consultation. Since then, there have been positive local and national policy developments which have implications for a refreshed IMH Framework to lead the next phase of this important work. Yet the context within which these developments sit has changed significantly since the Framework launch.
While support for babies, infants and their families has always been critically important, the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has refocused efforts on prevention and early intervention to address new or increasing risks. While it will be some time before the long-term impact of the pandemic is known, evidence already suggests a number of areas for concern, including:
- The rising cost of living, increasing fuel poverty and increased reliance on food banks for many families on top of already unacceptable child poverty rates, set against the evidence on the links between poverty and adverse childhood experiences.
- Concerns for parental mental ill-health driven by isolation, job uncertainty or losses, loss of loved ones, illness and anxiety, amongst other factors;
- Increased pressures within the home and the rising incidence of domestic violence, putting young children at risk of witnessing or experiencing abuse and impacting parental wellbeing;
- Pressures facing services as they seek to continue delivery of essential support to infants, parents and their families within the constantly changing environment they find themselves in.
- Delays in access to services and support during lockdown and the pandemic, particularly for isolated and vulnerable families with newborns.
It is clearly a critical time to take stock of the new and exacerbated needs of infants and their families, and to ensure that strategic developments and emerging services address these needs. This paper summarises the key strategic developments, and implications for consideration.
To read the paper in full please download using the link at the bottom of the page.
For more information, please contact:
Claire Dorris, Early Years Lead (NI)/ Principal Research Officer, National Children’s Bureau [email protected]
Maurice Meehan, Head of Health and Social Wellbeing Improvement, Public Health Agency [email protected]
