Breast feeding, bedtime stories and love key to kids’ mental health

ABSTINENCE from alcohol and cigarettes during pregnancy, breastfeeding, bedtime stories and the demonstration of parental love and affection are critical to the development of children’s mental health, a series of seminars in Londonderry and Omagh will be told over the next month.

Hundreds will attend the seminars which follow on from the launch of the Western Trust’s Infant Mental Health strategy last June.

Kieran Downey, the Western Trust’s Assistant Director of Children’s Mental Health and Disability explained: “The evidence is overwhelming that children’s life experiences in early years directly impacts upon their mental, physical and emotional well-being in later years.

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“Our aim is promote five key messages on infant mental health that need to be heard. These are: no smoking in pregnancy; no alcohol in pregnancy; promoting breastfeeding; parents reading to their children and developing secure attachments through communicating love and affection. At the end of the day it is these that can make a difference!”

Attendants have registered from within the Trust, education partners and the community and voluntary sector. Topics include: ‘How the Early Years Shape Infant Mental Health’; ‘Promoting Mental Health and Emotional Well-Being’ and Why Early Relationships are so Important.’ The morning seminars will be following in the afternoon with master classes for selected staff.

Infant mental health specialist, Dr Suzanne Zeedyk said: “It is a welcome return for me to be back in the Western Trust. I can see the excitement has spread even further since I helped launch their strategy in June.

“The enthusiasm and commitment shown by the Trust to strengthen our understanding that infants have mental health needs has been great to see. Northern Ireland is a place of such potential to help the rest of the world see the power of this approach.”

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Brendan Bonner, Head of Health and Social Wellbeing Improvement (West), Public Health Agency (PHA), said: “This initiative reflects the PHA key pillar of giving every child the best possible start in life. It is also part of our work, supporting the implementation of the Mental Health Promotion strategy and early intervention, under the Protect Life Suicide Prevention Strategy.

“These seminars will allow a wide range of partners and professionals to hear about the variety of early interventions that are being used to make a significant difference to children’s lives. We are pleased to work with the Western Trust in this initiative.”

The Trust’s ‘Infant Mental Health Strategy - Supporting Infant Mental Health for Every Child in the Western Trust’, forms a blueprint for infant mental health services in the Western Trust area both now and into the future. It is available to download from the ‘publications’ area of the Trust website: www.westerntrust.hscni.net.

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