Infant Mental Health Week: 9-15 June 2025
Resources to share with colleagues and families and to add to noticeboards or displays. In addition, find information about support groups in Jul / Aug and bespoke training for EY Providers.
Infant Mental Health Awareness Week (IMHAW) 2025 is taking place from 9th - 15th June 2025. The theme this year is, Who is holding the baby?
Not everyone bonds easily with their baby. Parents who are overwhelmed due to traumatic experiences, or struggling with their mental or physical health, often benefit from support. More than one in ten babies in the UK today, are living in fear, confusion, and distress.
Infant Mental Health Awareness Week 2025 will shine a light on gaps in services that support these vulnerable babies and their families. There are a growing number of parent-infant relationship teams. However, in many areas, help is still not available.
IMHAW 2025 will highlight the crucial job that specialised teams and services do, both supporting families and helping local services to join-up.
Resources
What is Infant Mental Health? Why does it matter? - PDF A4 Poster
Baby Brain Facts - PDF A4 Poster
Why Bonding Matters - Video Clips
Baby in Mind Sessions: For parents and cargivers of babies 0-2 years
Baby in Mind is a project funded by Bolton Family Hubs "Best start for life" initiative and has been developed with the Bolton Parent and Infant Relationship Service (PAIRS).
Baby in Mind is open to all mothers, fathers, parents and primary caregivers who are expecting a baby or have a child under the age of two.
Information, advice and guidance sessions offer a chance to meet with a specialist parent infant mental health practitioner for up to 75 minutes. This time can be used to share any thoughts and feelings or experiences which would be beneficial to explore. Space to think about you and your baby; expecting a baby or having a new baby can be complicated.
Some parents can experience thoughts and feelings that can be surprising or shocking. There is often little time to stop and reflect or talk about this during every life as a new parent. In turn this can have an unhelpful impact on parents, babies, and relationships. The Baby in Mind service is available to help parents make sense of and overcome some of these challenges. They also signpost parents in the direction of other services that might be supportive.
Baby in Mind sessions take place as listed below. families with infants 0-2 years (and expectant families) can prebook an appointment by emailing: babyinmind.pairs@gmmh.nhs.uk.
Session between 2nd June and 18th July are available daily (in the morning), across the Family Hub network. View the Guide to Services and Activities for Families in Bolton (page 43) for more information.
Session from the 18th July (throughout the summer schools holidays) are listed below.
Great Lever Family Hub
Monday 21 Jul, 4 Aug, 11 Aug
9:00am – 12:00pm
Oxford Grove Family Hub
Tuesday 22 Jul, 5 Aug, 12 Aug
9:00am – 12:00pm
Tonge Family Hub
Tuesday 22 Jul, 5 Aug, 12 Aug
1:00pm – 3:30pm
Alexandra Family Hub
Monday 4 Aug, 11 Aug
1:00pm – 3:30pm
Farnworth Family Hub
Wednesday 6 Aug
1:00pm – 3:30pm
To find out more, visit: https://bit.ly/40JpHuG or for more information email the Bolton Parent and Infant Relationship Service (PAIRS) at: babyinmind.pairs@gmmh.nhs.uk.
Support for early years providers:
Bolton Parent and Infant Relationship Service (PAIRS) offer consultations that aim to support you to think about the experiences of families, holding the baby in mind, and your relationships with caregivers. They also offer bespoke training based on the individual needs of your services.
Contact Bolton Parent and Infant Relationship Service (PAIRS) by email at babyinmind@pairs@gmmh.nhs.uk
Or telephone Bolton CAMHS on 01204 483 222 and ask for Baby in Mind
Additional resources for early years provider
Help for early years providers: Mental health for early years children
You may also be interested in the free Early years child development training, which includes a module on supporting children’s personal, social and emotional development.