Understanding and supporting infant mental health

Child Family Community Australia & Emerging Minds, Australia, November 2021

Related to Infant mental health

This webinar explored what infant mental health is and how practitioners can support infant mental health and wellbeing.

This webinar supports practitioners to:

develop understandings of infant health and wellbeing that can underpin conversations with caregivers
identify signs that infants might be struggling
start useful conversations with caregivers around infant mental health and wellbeing.

This webinar is of interest to professionals working with infants and/or their caregivers across early learning and care services, maternal and child health and other family support services. It will be particularly useful for practitioners who are not specialists in infant mental health.

Discover more resources

Practice paper

What is infant mental health, why is it important, and how can it be supported?

Dr Kristel Alla and Dr Trina Hinkley (AIFS)

All infants experience mental health, and infancy is a critical time for children to build strong confidence and security in their environment, so that they can develop positive emotional, social, physical and mental health. This paper produced by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) aim to raise awareness in practitioners who work with infants and/or their caregivers and ways to support parents and caregivers when early signs of problems appear if their infant is struggling with their mental health.
Webinar

Webinar | What is infant and child mental health and why is it important for all practitioners to think about it

Child Family Community Australia & Emerging Minds

This webinar featured Brad Morgan, Emerging Minds’ Director, and Helen Francis, Emerging Minds’ National to Local Manager, who described how Emerging Minds works across sectors to identify effective practice, and to support practice development that improves the early identification and prevention of child mental health issues.
In focus

In focus: What is infant and child mental health (and why is it important)?

Emerging Minds

Practitioners are in a unique position to provide support to parents and help plan for children's social and emotional development and mental health at the earliest possible stage. This resource aims to develop your knowledge about what is child mental health and how practitioners and health workers in both child and adult services can create opportunities for positive child mental health.
Short article

Individual and family factors associated with child mental health and wellbeing

Melissa Willoughby and Joanna Schwarzman, Australian Institute of Family Studies

This short article describes the research evidence on individual and family factors associated with child mental health and wellbeing.
Research summary

Highlights in child mental health research: October 2024

Prepared by AIFS

This October 2024 research summary provides a selection of recently released papers, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses related to infant and child mental health. Each summary includes an introductory overview of the content for the month, followed by a list of selected articles. Each article is accompanied by a brief synopsis which presents the key messages and highlights. Links to abstracts, full-text articles and related resources, where available, are provided.
Practice paper

Why we need to support infants and children before, during and after disasters

Emerging Minds

Infants and children rely on the adults around them to meet their needs, keep them safe and help them to make sense of their world. This puts them at greater risk of adverse impacts when a disaster occurs. This practice paper introduces the foundational knowledge and skills needed to support children and families at all stages of a disaster (preparedness, response and recovery).
Practice paper

Disaster preparedness with a focus on infants, children and families

Emerging Minds

This practice paper is designed to help you understand the importance of disaster preparedness for not only increasing safety and protecting lives when a disaster occurs, but facilitating the recovery of individuals, families and communities. It also offers practical advice for supporting the disaster preparedness of the children and families you work with.
Practice paper

Understanding how disasters influence infants and children

Emerging Minds

This practice paper aims to equip practitioners with knowledge about the ways disasters can influence a child’s ecology and the importance of targeted support for children’s resilience and recovery in the short and long term.
Practice paper

Supporting infants, children and families in an evacuation

Emerging Minds

This practice paper explains why it’s important to consider pregnant people, infants, children and families in evacuation planning and management. It provides practical considerations and strategies for ensuring evacuation procedures and centres meet the needs of infants, children and families and enhance their safety, wellbeing and recovery.
Practice paper

How psychological first aid can support infants, children and families who experience a disaster (part one)

Emerging Minds

This paper is the first of two and introduces psychological first aid (PFA), a psychosocial support approach that can reduce distress and support the mental health of infants, children and families who have experienced a disaster.
Practice paper

Psychological first aid with infants and children: Practice guidance (part two)

Emerging Minds

Part two of two: This paper provides guidance to practitioners offering psychological first aid with infants, children and families in the context of a disaster.
Practice paper

Wellbeing for workers supporting children and families after a disaster

Emerging Minds

This resource focuses on how to look after your own wellbeing as a practitioner or worker when supporting children and families after a disaster.

Understanding and supporting infant mental health

Child Family Community Australia & Emerging Minds, Australia, November 2021

Discover more resources

What is infant mental health, why is it important, and how can it be supported?

Webinar | What is infant and child mental health and why is it important for all practitioners to think about it

In focus: What is infant and child mental health (and why is it important)?

Individual and family factors associated with child mental health and wellbeing

Highlights in child mental health research: October 2024

Why we need to support infants and children before, during and after disasters

Disaster preparedness with a focus on infants, children and families

Understanding how disasters influence infants and children

Supporting infants, children and families in an evacuation

How psychological first aid can support infants, children and families who experience a disaster (part one)

Psychological first aid with infants and children: Practice guidance (part two)

Wellbeing for workers supporting children and families after a disaster

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