Infant mental health experts and practitioners pledge to work together to Speak Up For Babies in Northern Ireland

Over 450 people came together from across statutory, voluntary and community sectors yesterday to celebrate and share learnings from recent work to improve outcomes on infant mental health in Northern Ireland.

Reflecting on progress made and on challenges still ahead, Speak Up For Babies: Giving our most vulnerable the best start emphasised the importance of encouraging and listening to the voice of babies, and their parents, to ensure services are most appropriate to meet their needs.

The online conference was hosted by the National Children’s Bureau (NCB) on behalf of the Public Health Agency (PHA) and was opened by the Minister for Health Mike Nesbitt MLA. The event included presentations from the Public Health Agency (PHA) and the Department of Education (DE) as well as keynote presentations from two leading experts in infant mental health.

Infant mental health focuses on social and emotional development during the first three years of life for an infant and their family. A child’s physical, social, emotional and cognitive development during those early years strongly influence their future wellbeing, relationships, educational attainment and the capacity to engage in the world of work.

We know that stress and adversity experienced during early years can have a negative impact on babies’ physical and mental health as they grow but this doesn’t have to be the case. If we intervene early enough, we can give children a vital social and emotional foundation which will help to keep them happy, healthy and achieving throughout their lives and, above all, equip them to raise children of their own, who will also enjoy higher levels of wellbeing.

Since the launch of the 2016 Infant Mental Health Framework in Northern Ireland, many examples have emerged of good practice as understanding and appreciation of the importance of positive infant mental health for life-long outcomes has grown.

NCB and the Public Health Agency were delighted to be able to use this conference to highlight and celebrate some of these successes.  The clear message from the speakers was that collaboration is key and that infant mental health continues to be “everybody’s business”.

Mike Nesbitt MLA, Minister for Health, said:  “I was delighted to open this year’s Infant Mental Health conference.  It is clear that giving our children the best start in life not only involves looking after their physical wellbeing but also their mental wellbeing.  My department’s Mental Health Strategy aims to ensure that the needs of infants are met in mental health services, as well as meeting the needs of vulnerable children and young people when developing and improving CAMHS. The strategy also makes a commitment to increasing funding for CAMHS services, which includes infant mental health.  I am grateful to all our partners who are working hard to ensure that this essential need is met and am delighted to hear of the enhancements and improvements to these services which are planned for the future.”

Frances Lyons, Northern Ireland Director, National Children’s Bureau said: “I’m very proud that NCB, in support of the Public Health Agency,  hosted another successful and popular event that showcased the important collaborations and early interventions across Northern Ireland to improve infant mental health outcomes. Our mission at NCB is to build better childhoods for every child and a focus on the first 1001 days is absolutely critical.

“We are very aware of the need for targeted support for those families with babies and young children facing multiple complexities, such as poverty, poor mental health, or experience of ongoing trauma, and the impact that the combination of these can have on the wellbeing of a newborn infant and its parents.

“While we welcome a much overdue Programme for Government, it is essential that specific needs of babies, infants & their families are fully considered in its implementation. We look forward to continuing our work with families and all stakeholders across the sector in Northern Ireland and beyond in speaking up for babies and giving the most vulnerable the best start.”

Heather Reid, Interim Director of Nursing, Midwifery and AHPs at the PHA, said: “The Public Health Agency is committed to working across government departments and with all sectors to achieve the best possible start in life for every child in Northern Ireland.

“Our focus, under the Starting Well theme, includes ensuring optimal interventions  for families throughout pregnancy, particularly those facing challenges during pregnancy and in early childhood, when additional support can be key to ensuring subsequent later life positive health and wellbeing outcomes.”

Paul Brush, Director for Early Years at the Department of Education, outlined the importance attached to early years within DE: “The Department of Education is committed to ensuring every child has the best start in life and invests over £100m annually in this area. We work collaboratively with other sectors to support babies' social and emotional development through programmes such as Sure Start and Tiny Life which lay the foundation for longer term positive outcomes.”

The PHA, the Stronger from the Start Alliance and NCB look forward to continuing the journey together, building on achievements and using developments in policy and practice to better ‘speak up for babies’, while ensuring support is available to ensure even the most vulnerable can thrive.