Introduce
Observation and assessment enable practitioners to track milestones, identify strengths to build on and work alongside families to address any challenges or difficulties.
The following guide titled ‘Reflecting on parent-infant relationships: a practitioner’s guide to starting conversations’ is a resource that offers insight into identifying and addressing parent-infant relationships challenges. This guidance helps to explore the role of observation and how a practitioner might build up a sense of where any difficulties might lie for an infant.
Watch the series of three videos below, featuring Dr. Madeline Marczak, Principal Clinical Psychologist at Manchester Foundation Trust. This introductory video emphasises the importance of listening to infants as part of the observation and assessment process:
The next video explores the barriers that can impact infant observation and the need for a direct approach which considers the challenges of the parent whilst also prioritising the needs of the infant:
The final video invites you to focus on parent-infant observation, paying attention to how the interaction feels and reflecting on next steps:
Develop
Recognising difficulties in the parent-infant relationship and knowing how to seek specialist support are crucial for promoting healthy child development.
Specialist Perinatal Community Mental Health Teams
Specialist Perinatal Community Mental Health Teams provide targeted support for women facing moderate to severe mental health challenges during the perinatal period. These teams work in partnership with maternity services, parent-infant mental health team, and other local organisations across the borough. Their focus is on early intervention to respond to the needs of each individual woman, their infants and families. You can read more about the team in Greater Manchester in the booklet below:
Locality Parent-Infant Mental Health Teams
Each borough within Greater Manchester has its own Parent-Infant Mental Health team which focus on promotion, prevention and treatment. You can find details of all the Greater Manchester Parent Infant Mental Health Services here. These teams offer training, support and consultation to professionals, as well as a specialist clinical service to families where they are concerns with the parent-infant relationship which need specific attention and intervention.
Reflect
Stop and Reflect: Consider a family you are working with:
– What external factors might be influencing the parent’s interactions with their infant?
– How do you ensure that the infants voice is heard and prioritised as well as the parents voice?
Optional
This comprehensive document outlines the region’s pioneering efforts to integrate key services, including specialist perinatal mental health, parent-infant mental health, and peer support, into a whole-system approach. It serves as a vital guide for professionals and stakeholders, providing strategies to enhance collaboration, improve outcomes for families, and address inequalities in early years development across Greater Manchester.