ZInfant Mental Health (IMH) Training for Practitioners 22/23

Target group

This training is targeted at professionals in direct contact with children and those who undertake or contribute to risk assessments and multi-agency meetings including social workers, family support workers, foster carers, health professionals, schools, police and others who work with children at risk of abuse, neglect and exploitation.   

Level 3 (predominantly working with children) or above (including strategic leads), and NHS Inter-Collegiate Standards 2 and above for health professionals. 

Aims

The aim of this course is to provide practitioners with the knowledge, skills and abilities:

·         To understand  the concept of Infant Mental Health,

·         Understand the importance of good Infant Mental Health  for the individual, family and society

·         Appreciate the importance of the parent–infant relationship

·         To improve skills and knowledge to aid assessment of the parent-infant relationship

The training is designed to provide a mix of knowledge based content and interactive exercises which includes discussing scenarios to understand the range of interventions and help available (locally and nationally) and know when and how to access these most effectively.

Learning objectives

By attending this course, participants will:

•       Have improved knowledge about infant brain development

•       To understand the impact of the parent-infant relationship and how it can affect the individual, child and society across the life course

•       Increased knowledge  of local and national policy and research in regard to IMH

•       Increase knowledge and understanding of key concepts in infant mental health

•       Be able to apply some of these key concepts in practice when observing mother/father and baby interactions

•       Understand the basics of attachment theory

•       Have increased knowledge and understanding about the importance of effective communication and  relationships when working  with parents

•       Have improved knowledge of local referral and care pathways, interventions and help available  and how to access support services as set out in the multi-agency PIMH Protocol

•  Have learnt about the Sutton PIMH Early Help Network and how this works to develop services and collaborative working in Sutton.