The new Infant Mental Health Hub for Scotland is led by Penny Rackett and Christine Puckering. Details and posts below. If you would like to join the Scottish Hub, select it when you register for AiMH UK membership. We look forward to hearing from you.
The AiMH UK Infant Mental Health Hubs enable members to connect across professions and levels within geographical areas, to help to develop and co-ordinate our thinking and practice around Infant Mental Health issues in our work. If you would like something posted here, contact your Hub leads on the Hub Discussion Forum (big blue link below).
Christine Puckering
Executive Committee Member of AiMH UK. Forensic, Clinical and Neuro‐Psychologist. Programme Director Mellow Parenting, Glasgow. Trustee of the Scottish PIMH Network. More...
Honorary Senior Research Fellow (School of Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing). Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer (Institute of Health and Wellbeing).
Penny Rackett
Executive Committee Member of AiMH UK. Educational Psychologist working in East Lothian with a particular interest in mental health and the early years. Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) Advanced Supervisor.
Discussion forum
Share insight, explore issues, and ask other professionals for their experience and expertise in the AIMH Scotland forum.
Posts from Scotland’s Infant Mental Health hub
News and events below.
AiMH UK Scotland Hub Event 9th December 2021
‘Different Approaches, Working Together for Infant Mental Health’
Delegates at our AIMH UK Scotland Hub event in June fed back how much they enjoyed thinking about infant mental health work through the medium of case studies.
In response, we have put together a morning of casework presentations and discussion by professionals, with the opportunity to discuss these in a locality of your choice.
Programme for the AIMH UK Scottish Hub
Outline of the day
9 – Welcome
9.10 – 10. Presentation of case study where the Family Nurse Partnership and Mellow Parenting were used together
10 – 10.30 – Small group discussion in localities: using different approaches together, what is possible in your area
10.30 – 10.45 – Feedback from groups and any questions
10.45 – 10.55 – Break
10.55 – 11.55 – A single case scenario discussed by different professions, with representatives from: Health Visiting, Home-Start, SureStart Midlothian, a Child Psychotherapist from an Infant Mental Health service and a representative from Edinburgh’s Multi-Cultural Family Base. They will discuss how they would support the family and what they would add in their role.
11.55 – 12.15 – Small group discussion in same locality groups as before
12.15 – 12.30 – Plenary and close
Tickets: Members: free Non-Members: £15
If you would like to become a member of AiMH UK and get your ticket for free, join here
Scotland Hub Event: ‘Getting It right for our Infants’
Monday 7th June 9am – 1pm. Organised by Scotland’s Infant Mental Health Hub, within AiMH UK.
This event was held on the first day of Infant Mental Health Awareness Week (IMHAW) 2021. This year the theme was: including infants in children and young people’s mental health. #IMHAW21 #including infants.
The event drew over 100 participants and Amanda Jones delivered her presentation on ‘Supporting parents when they are really struggling‘ followed by presentations from around Scotland.
Presentations below:
Amanda Jones, Consultant Perinatal Psychotherapist at the Anna Freud Centre
Julia Donaldson, Glasgow Infant and Family Team
Anne McFadyen, Perinatal Mental Health Network Scotland
Marita Brack, NES IMH Training Update
Rachel Fraser, Parent Infant Foundation
Hannah Guzinska, Home Start – no slides
Megan Lanigan, NHS Lothian – TBA
and Sally Amour, NHS Highland – TBA
A recording of most of the presentations from around Scotland can be viewed here
Update on resources in Scotland
There are two new resources available created by the Scottish Government
The first is the Wellbeing for Wee Ones guide, as part of the Parent Club resources Wellbeing for wee ones | Parent Club. It has several helpful videos and has received excellent feedback.
The second is the Early Intervention Framework NES – Early Intervention Framework – Home (nhs.scot), a searchable database of evidence-based mental health and wellbeing interventions for children (and young people). There is comprehensive information for each intervention, across six key dimensions of implementation. Guided questioning supports how best to select and implement interventions; and a self-assessment tool enables evaluation of unique local implementation contexts. So it helps services to decide which evidence based tool is right for them.
Update on Infant Mental Health Service Development in Scotland
In 2019, the Scottish Government made a commitment to develop perinatal and infant mental health services. A Programme Board was set up to do this and was asked to oversee the development of infant mental health services in line with the Programme for Government (2019-20):
Join our hub!
This is the place where we can share news about local IMH events, training, organisations, and share our ideas and resources.
If you would like something posted here, contact your Hub leads on the Hub discussion forum (select big blue link above).
If you have resources you would like to share with AIMH members across the UK, please go to Forums and add to the Member shared resources forum.