Our programmes can be used for single or multi-agency audiences, across all UK nations, to build advocacy for and understanding of perinatal and infant mental health. It addresses the fundamental requirements for all those working with parents and families in the perinatal period to manage mild to moderate perinatal mental illness, to understand and recognise some of the impact of these disorders on the infant, their family and society, and to know when to refer on. Our events are co-delivered by facilitators experienced in multi-agency training delivery, and joined by additional speakers who share their lived experience of perinatal mental health on the day.
Engaging in these programmes equips participants to develop the mindset and skills required to work effectively with families in the perinatal period. The programme content is delivered across the following modules:
- Perinatal and Infant Mental Health: the underpinning policy and research of what it is and why it matters
- The Perinatal Frame of Mind: perinatal mental health across the life course
- Mental health conditions in the perinatal period: signs, symptoms and impact on the family
- Identification, assessment and intervention
- Managing risk and safeguarding
- Developing high quality, integrated and inclusive services
Multi-agency training
An integrated training approach through multi-agency training is central to the future of coordinated and integrated perinatal care for families. We offer our Perinatal Mental Health training programmes across the workforce, including health visiting, maternity and neonatal care, mental health professionals, social care, early years and voluntary organisations supporting parents and carers.
Types of training
Champions
The Champions model of training is excellent for sustainability and growing the capacity of a workforce to meet its own needs for future training. Following training, the Champions can use resources provided to undertake a cascade of Awareness training to colleagues (where agreed locally).
The Champions programme also aims to support informal leadership and advocacy for the subject. Champions are intended to be advocates for families impacted within their local area, be a resource for colleagues around the subject (in line with their scope of practice) and empower colleagues to promote parity of esteem for PIMH, become involved in supporting and progressing integrated care pathways/initiatives in their area, and promote evidence-based practice for the subject within their work.
Attributes of a Champion include: having an interest in PIMH, being a good communicator and having the confidence to promote the subject with others (or train from a lesson plan and resources), and being organised and able to contribute to initiatives being developed in their workplace or deliver small groups of awareness training (where agreed locally).
The aim of the programme is to prepare participants to undertake a Champion role in Perinatal and Infant Mental Health (PIMH).
Who are iHV PIMH Champions?
iHV PIMH Champions are place-based leaders who seek opportunities to build advocacy for, and deepen understanding of, perinatal and infant mental health. They have relevant clinical experience and a robust knowledge of the latest evidence-base relating to PIMH. They are equipped to deliver training, influence stakeholders and services around the needs of families, identify local gaps in services and improve support available.
On completion of the programme, iHV PIMH Champions will be able to:
- Articulate the importance of good perinatal and infant mental health
- Identify current policy and research related to perinatal and infant mental health and describe how it applies to practice
- Articulate the effects and impact of perinatal mental illness on parents and the developing baby/child across the life course
- Describe the importance of a trauma-informed approach when working with families in the perinatal period
- Identify ways to promote reflective functioning and support parents to negotiate the emotional transition to parenthood
- Explain the risk factors and clinical features for a range of perinatal mental health conditions
- Identify the most appropriate support and treatment for the most common perinatal mental health conditions
- Describe how perinatal mental illness can affect the parent-infant and wider family relationships
- Articulate the importance of trusting therapeutic relationships
- Identify a range of evidence-based approaches and tools that support effective identification, assessment and interventions of/for perinatal mental illness, infant mental health problems and parent-infant relationship problems
- Demonstrate strategies to strengthen the parent-infant relationship
- Identify and manage risks of suicide, self-harm, extended suicide, and child safeguarding in the perinatal period
- Describe how co-existing factors and multiple adversity may intersect with parental mental health and impact on parenting capacity
- Reflect on the lived experience of the baby
- Describe what constitutes an effective integrated PIMH pathway and the range of national recommended interventions
- Recognise and advocate for those who may face barriers in accessing high-quality PIMH services
- Describe the impact of practitioner wellbeing on outcomes for families and identify a range of strategies to ensure personal wellbeing
- Articulate the role of the iHV PIMH Champion and identify local opportunities to build advocacy for perinatal and infant mental health
- Access all PIMH Champion resources (PowerPoint presentations, films, evaluations, certificates) to support them to deliver an awareness-level PIMH cascade
This training programme prepares participants to undertake a ‘Champions’ role, equipping them with materials to deliver a cascade of multi-agency 1-day or 2-day PIMH Awareness level training for colleagues using materials we provide.
In addition, all PIMH participants have access to iHV PIMH Champions’ quarterly virtual Forums and Bulletins to maintain their confidence and competence. Access is granted for 2 years following training and can be renewed for a small fee following this period.
The programme is delivered as:
- Private events
- iHV hosted events
🏷️ Cost: £550 (iHV Member) / £600 (Non-member)
🕒 Duration: 2 Days
👥 Suitable for anyone with:
- A passion for perinatal and infant mental health and opportunities to share this
- Skill in creating, facilitating and supporting a positive learning environment
- The ability to organise and deliver a cascade of the PIMH-awareness training package (if agreed locally)
[Hyperlink to event]
No suitable scheduled dates?
Contact us to register your interest.
For more information, contact us.
Awareness
The Awareness format of training is excellent for growing knowledge and confidence across the workforce. The Awareness training aims to offer the same high quality learning experience as our Champions training, to support participants to develop the mindset and skills required to work effectively with families in the perinatal period, to promote good emotional health, offer evidence-based assessment and support, and know when to refer on to other services.
Following training, the participants receive access to resources for consolidation of their own learning only, and there is no access to materials to support a cascade of Awareness training (see Champions for this format of training).
The PIMH Awareness programme is recognised as Level 1 learning for the Start for Life Family Hubs initiative and is suitable and currently used to support learning across a wide range of professional disciplines.
- The aim of the programme is to build advocacy for, and understanding of, perinatal and infant mental health (PIMH).
- It addresses the fundamental requirements for all those working with parents and families in the perinatal period to manage mild to moderate perinatal mental illness, to understand and recognise some of the impact of these disorders on the infant, their family and society, and to know when to refer on.
By the end of this training, practitioners will be able to:
- Articulate the importance of good perinatal and infant mental health
- Identify current policy and research related to perinatal and infant mental health and describe how it applies to practice
- Articulate the effects and impact of perinatal mental illness on parents and the developing baby/child across the life-course
- Describe the importance of a trauma-informed approach when working with families in the perinatal period
- Identify ways to promote reflective functioning and support parents to negotiate the emotional transition to parenthood
- Explain the risk factors and clinical features for a range of perinatal mental health conditions
- Identify the most appropriate support and treatment for the most common perinatal mental health conditions
- Describe how perinatal mental illness can affect the parent-infant and wider family relationships
- Articulate the importance of trusting therapeutic relationships
- Identify a range of evidence-based approaches and tools that support effective identification, assessment and interventions of/for perinatal mental illness, infant mental health problems and parent-infant relationship problems
- Demonstrate strategies to strengthen the parent-infant relationship
- Identify and manage risks of suicide, self-harm, extended suicide, and child safeguarding in the perinatal period
- Describe how co-existing factors and multiple adversity may intersect with parental mental health and impact on parenting capacity
- Reflect on the lived experience of the baby
- Describe what constitutes an effective integrated PIMH pathway and the range of national recommended interventions
- Recognise and advocate for those who may face barriers in accessing high-quality PIMH services
- Describe the impact of practitioner wellbeing on outcomes for families and identify a range of strategies to ensure personal wellbeing
This training programme is designed for participants’ own Continuing Professional Development around PIMH.
It covers the content described in the main page with a pace of delivery, activities and depth of discussions that vary from our Champions format due to the shorter duration of this popular training.
Note: there is no cascade of training associated with this format.
The programme is delivered as:
- Private events
- iHV hosted events
🏷️ Cost: £210 (iHV Member) / £240 (Non-member)
🕒 Duration: 1 Day
👥 Suitable for: This programme is a multi-agency learning event. The content is identified as suitable Level 1 learning for a broad range of health care, early years or voluntary sector employees working alongside parents in the perinatal period.
[Hyperlink to event]
No suitable scheduled dates?
Contact us to register your interest.
For more information, contact us.
