Welcome
Speed Presentations
Best Practice & Innovative Work from across Scotland
• NHS Ayrshire and Arran
Promoting Infant Mental Health - Engaging with New Dads
Laura Bedford
• NHS Fife
Attachment, Bonding and Communication - Results of a Fife
Study - Fiona Robertson
• NHS Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire Parenting Support Strategy - Margaret Swan &
Janine Ryan
• NHS Health Scotland
Maternal & Infant Mental Well-being - Recommendations
from a National Working Group - Ann Kerr
Promoting Infant Mental
Health: Engaging with
new fathers
Laura Bedford
Trainee Health Psychologist
Why engage with new
fathers?
• “Early involvement of fathers
has significant benefits for
children’s social, emotional and
intellectual development and
wellbeing” (National Childbirth
Trust, 2009).
• Fathers are now much more
actively involved in the care of
their children.
Why engage with new
fathers?
A number of policies and guides have emphasised the
importance of engaging with and supporting new fathers,
for example....
• Refreshed Framework for Maternity Care in Scotland (2011)
• Scottish Antenatal Parent Education Syllabus (2011)
• Mental Health of Children and Young People: A Framework
for Promotion, Prevention and Care (2005)
• Infant Mental Health – a guide for practitioners (2007)
Method
A scoping exercise and literature review were
undertaken to inform a more structured approach
for how to effectively engage with fathers.
Findings – Literature
Review
1) Barriers to father’s engagement
Although resources and services are labelled as being
for ‘parents,’ it has been found that fathers of new infants
do not tend to make use of the help that is available to
them (Fletcher et al., 2008)…
Findings – Literature
Review
1. Knowledge regarding availability and usefulness of
services
2. Advertising
3. Work commitments
4. Perception of ‘female orientated’ services
5. Levels of organizational support in engaging with fathers
6. Beliefs and values
Findings – Literature
Review
2) Effective engagement
strategies
1. Engage with fathers during
appointments, at the birth of the
baby, or during baby’s stay in
hospital. This is the time when
fathers are most receptive to
information!
Findings – Literature
Review
Interventions for fathers should….
2. Initially be offered as one session only
rather than multiple sessions
3. Be father-focused and father-friendly
4. Involve active participation
5. If possible, run in the evenings and
over weekends
Findings – Literature
Review
6. Promotional material
should contain the term
‘father’ or ‘dad’ and a
photograph of father and
baby. Messages should be
clear and concise. Materials
should be placed in venues
frequently visited by fathers
(Bayley et al., 2009).
Findings – Literature
Review
7. Use of new technologies, such as the internet
8. Emphasize the value of fathers involvement to
mothers
9. Work with fathers to design and deliver promotional
material
Findings – Scoping
Exercise
• Play in Prison initiative & Storybook Dads (HMP Kilmarnock,
East Ayrshire)
• Consultation with fathers and grandfathers to inform the
planning and development of play sessions in Kilmarnock
• Young Parent Group (Largs, North Ayrshire)
• ‘A Baby is for Life’ programme (Hillbank Nursery & Family
Centre, Northwest Area of Kilmarnock)
Findings – Scoping
Exercise
The websites of the following organisations contain a
number of useful resources and guides for engaging with,
and working with, fathers:
• The Fatherhood Institute - www.fatherhoodinstitute.org
• Fathers Network Scotland - www.fathersnetwork.org.uk
• Working with Men - www.workingwithmen.org
• Young Fathers Initiative - www.young-fathers.org.uk
• Understanding Childhood - www.understandingchildhood.net
Findings – Scoping
Exercise
Dads2b Resource (2011)
A tailored resource for antenatal
educators who provide education
and support to fathers.
(Jointly developed by Children in
Scotland, NHS Lothian, National
Childbirth Trust, West Lothian Sure
Start and Fathers Network Scotland)
Conclusions
• Engaging with fathers is vital in
order to help them to develop a
secure relationship and positive
attachment with their infant.
• A flexible and innovative
approach is required in order to
effectively engage with, and
work with, fathers.
Thanks to….
• Members of the NHS Ayrshire & Arran Infant Mental Health
Group
• Bernadette Henderson (NHS Ayrshire & Arran)
• Tammy Devlin & Claire Booker (East Ayrshire Council)
• Linda Stevely (Hillbank Nursery & Family Centre, Kilmarnock)
• Michelle Davidson (NHS Lothian)
Thanks for listening
For more information about the work
presented here, please contact me on:
Laura.Bedford@aapct.scot.nhs.uk
Attachment, bonding and
communication – results of a Fife
study
Fiona Robertson
Health Visitor/Team Leader
 Co-Authors
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Melanie Gunning, Queen Margaret University
Karlen Lyons-Ruth, Harvard Medical School
Lynne Murray, University of Reading
Kristin Kelly, Pennsylavania State University
 Family and Personal Relationships Lab
 www.attachmentresearch.org
 Partners & Students








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Con Stough, Swinburne University, Australia
Steven Hughes, NHS Fife
Fiona Robertson, NHS Fife
Maxine Moy, NHS Fife
Rhona Brown, NHS Fife
Kimberly R. Johnson, Ph.D Student
Luke Downey, Ph.D Student
Harriet Waugh, Research Assistant
Charmaine Fraser, Research Assistant
 Why is this important?
 Unhealthy mother/infant relationships are a
mental health risk
 Healthy mother/infant relationships serve
as a protective factor
 Why is this important?
 Unhealthy mother/infant relationships are a
mental health risk
 Healthy mother/infant relationships serve
as a protective factor
 Why is this important?
 Developing a trust in self and others is at
least partially a learned behaviour
 Intergenerational transmission reel and needs
to be broken (Holmes, Hill & Lyons-Ruth,
2006)
 Fife Sample
 65 mothers and their 4 month old infants
 10% most income-deprived data-zones in D&WF
 Low income; low educational levels
 No prior psychiatric problems
 Good diversity in age, first time mothers,
relationship status, father involvement
 Conclusions
 Three independent measures link EI to
mother/infant attachment
 EI is a relatively stable construct so can be
measured early; EI can be trained and
improved
 Follow up/new study was funded
 Transition into practice
Presenters - Janine Ryan and
Margaret Swan
Lanarkshire’s
Parenting Support Strategy
Our vision for every
child and young
person in
Lanarkshire is that
they grow, develop
and reach their full
potential within
strong, confident
and resourceful
families who are
fully equipped to
contribute to
children’s wellbeing.
Commitment 1: We will ensure that the unique role of
parents as the child’s most important resource is promoted,
and in particular, will emphasise the role of the male carer
Commitment 2: We
will ensure that the
ambitions of the key
policy documents and
the early years
agenda are at the
heart of service
delivery for
communities, being
vital in supporting
parents to give our
children the best start
in life and be ready to
succeed
Commitment 3: We
will ensure that all
staff working with
children, parents,
families and
communities will be
supported to develop
culture, systems and
practice change in
line with the national
GIRFEC practice
model
Core Commitment 4: We will ensure that all interventions
are underpinned by appropriate and timely assessment,
planning, monitoring and evaluation which promotes
decision making and actions to address parents’ needs
Commitment 5: We will ensure that staff will be encouraged
to build on the capacities of our parents and families using
the “strengths approach”
Core Commitment 6: We will ensure that the need to consult
with parents and children is recognised throughout all aspects of
work in developing and delivering support
Commitment 7: We will ensure that managers understand and
commit to the need to work in partnership. Supporting and
promoting: resources; time; content and delivery
Core Commitment 8: We will ensure a strategic and
structured approach to the development of local practitioner
networks.
Core Commitment 9: We will ensure that key messages around
building positive relationships will be a foundation for practice,
e.g. understanding the importance of attachment and
maintaining good relationships throughout children’s lives.
Core Commitment 10: We will ensure that staff will share
information and good practice with each other and parents on an
ongoing basis and in particular, at key transition periods in their
children’s lives
Core commitments
1dads group CLD
2Midwifery gestational wheel
3GIRFEC wellbeing height chart
4 child/young persons pathway
5Community Mothers , Grassroots,21century families
6investing In Infants Programme
7Mellow Babies/ play@home
8 nurturing touch /healthy reading/PTR
9First Steps
10Roots of Empathy
Thank you for listening
and we look forward to
meeting you in the
workshops and the
Marketplace