This week, Home-Start UK hosted its Celebrating Perinatal and Infant Mental Health conference, bringing together experts and practitioners from across the UK to discuss the importance of early childhood mental health.

The online conference was funded by The Kristian Gerhard Jebsen Foundation. It featured presentations from various Home-Starts across the UK, highlighting the work being done to support families during the critical early years. Attendees heard  from guest speaker Jennifer Holly, Senior Research and Impact Manager at The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, who shared valuable insights on The Shaping Us Framework 

 

Key Sessions and Highlights:

• Reflections and Directions – Sarah McMullen, Director of Impact at Home-Start UK, opened the discussions with an overview of key developments in perinatal and infant mental health support.
• Dad Matters Developments – Sarah Cook, CEO of Home-Start HOST, explored the role of fathers in infant mental health and new initiatives supporting dads.
• Enhancing Positive Early Childhood Experiences (Home-Start NI) – Bevin O’Hare, Senior Manager at Home-Start Newry and Mourne, discussed innovative strategies to support children’s early years.
• Family Support from a Perinatal Perspective – Amy Bryson, Perinatal Lead at Home-Start Glasgow South, provided insights into the unique challenges and opportunities in perinatal support.
• The Impact of Home-Start Home-Visiting & Groups on Families in Gloucestershire – Dr. Katerina Kantarzis and researcher Martha Burlingham presented a quantitative and qualitative investigation into the effectiveness of Home-Start’s support programs.
• The Promise Project & Perinatal and Infant Mental Health: Shared Learning and Going Forward – Vicky Wan, Practice Lead at Home-Start UK, closed the event with reflections on ongoing efforts and future goals in supporting families.

 Alex Corgier, Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Lead for Home-start UK said. “This conference has been a fantastic opportunity to come together to share insights, learning and reflect and celebrate the incredible work being done across the Home-Start network. The enthusiasm, expertise and dedication shown here today highlights just how much we can achieve when we work together to support families in the first 1001 days."

Guest speaker Jennifer Holly, Senior Research and Impact Manager at The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood commented "It was a joy to join the conference on perinatal and infant mental health to talk about the Centre for Early Childhood's recently launched Shaping Us."