Strong mental health is essential to children’s physical, social and emotional wellbeing. It provides a foundation for the skills needed to navigate complex experiences, participate meaningfully in life and accomplish goals.
All services – whether they’re for parents, children and/or families – have a role to play in supporting children’s mental health and development. Each service sits on a continuum of practice, from having the child in sight to being child focused.
In the context of this resource, a ‘service’ may be a whole organisation or components within that organisation (i.e. teams). A service’s focus and core work and the degree of contact they have with a child will determine where they sit on the continuum and how they can best influence child mental health. But their position on the continuum is not fixed. Every organisation can shift its policies, processes and practices along the continuum to increase child visibility and participation.
Select the tile that best describes your service, to see how you can set up organisational structures and processes that support infant and child mental health.
