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Infant Mental Health – Evidence and Policy

Updates

Early language skills: The role of the home learning environment and emerging insights into the impact of the pandemic (National Literacy Trust, April 2022)
This report was commissioned by Paramount as part of a wider partnership between the National Literacy Trust and Blue’s Clues & You! It synthesises information from existing literature, survey data of parents and evaluation data from the National Literacy Trust’s Early Words Together programme to provide insight into the importance of the home learning environment and early language skills.

The Relationship Between Poverty and Child Abuse and Neglect: New Evidence (Nuffield Foundation, March 2022)

A new evidence review by the University of Huddersfield, the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust and the Nuffield Foundation provides stronger evidence that links poverty to child abuse and neglect. The review found that changes in income alone, holding all other factors constant, have a major impact on the numbers of children being harmed. Reductions in income and other economic shocks increase the numbers of children being subject to neglect and abuse, while improvements in income reduce those figures.

Growing up in the Covid-19 pandemic: An evidence review of the impact of pandemic life on physical development in the early years (Early Intervention Foundation, November 2021)

This report is a brief review of emerging international and UK evidence on seven key factors associated with children’s early physical health and development, and the extent to which the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic (such as lockdowns and social distancing) have impacted on these factors and affected children’s early physical development, including children from low-income and UK ethnic minority families.

Support for multilingual families at home: Time together booklet (National Literacy Trust)

Parents and children chatting together, singing songs and sharing books in their home language is a fantastic way to support children’s development at this time. The Time Together booklet is a colourful and easy-to-read guide that is full of suggestions for how parents can support their young child’s learning at home. It has been translated into 22 different languages for you to share with the multilingual families in your setting or community.

Read, Watch and Listen

Watch: IMH Lunchtime Learning: How mental health is impacted when babies are born too soon, too small or too sick. A presentation by TinyLife, 27th July, 12-1pm

Read: Blog – Operation Long-Run: Covid recovery and the importance of keeping children active (Early Intervention Foundation)

Read: Guidance for antenatal and postnatal conversations on feeding and caring for baby (unicef.org.uk)

Watch: Human Milk Advert (Public Health Agency)

Watch: The Importance of relationship building video – Baby Friendly Initiative (unicef.org.uk)

Watch: Meeting baby for the first time video – Baby Friendly Initiative (unicef.org.uk)

Read: Why Health Visitors Matter report (by first 1001 days movement).

Read: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s socioemotional well-being and attainment during the Reception Year (Education Endowment Foundation)