The mental health of babies and very young children can often be overlooked, but it is crucial to development later on in life. The time between conception and when the child reaches the age of two is especially vital for wellbeing and brain and language development.
This has been increasingly acknowledged in recent years; the independent Mental Health Taskforce has recommended that NHS England support 30,000 more pregnant women annually to access specialist perinatal mental health services. But there is still more to be done, particularly for children in care, for whom secure relationships are vital.
To discuss some of these issues, we have put together a panel of experts from the social care and mental health sectors. We will be talking about:
- How can public services work together on infant mental health?
- Do the emotional and attachment needs of children get forgotten about when decisions are made around care?
- The importance of early intervention and prevention.
- Examples of good practice.
The discussion will take place on Wednesday 8 June between 12 and 2pm in the comments section below this article. To take part, create a free Guardian account or log in using your Twitter or Facebook profiles to comment. Alternatively, you can email us to post your questions for you.
Panellists
Matt Forde, head of service for Scotland, NSPCC
Jane Barlow, president of the Association for Infant Mental Health (UK); professor of public health in the early years, University of Warwick
Karen Broadhurst, professor of social work, Lancaster University
David Shemmings, co-director of the Centre for Child Protection at the University of Kent and professor of child protection research
Julia Brown, co-founder, the FASD Trust
Alice Cook, independent family assessment practitioner currently doing a PhD on childhood trauma and the impact on parenting capacity at Royal Holloway University
Clea Barry, practice supervisor (public law), Cafcass
Susannah Bowyer, research and development manager, Research in Practice
Maria Kane, representative from the Cavendish Square Group of NHS trusts and chief executive of Barnet, Enfield and Haringey NHS mental health trusts
Gavin Moorghen, professional officer, British Association of Social Workers
Sheena Webb, consultant clinical psychologist and service manager for the London Family Drug and Alcohol Court
Discussion commissioned and controlled by the Guardian, funded by NSPCC.
