New ‘Little Sparks, Big Starts-Health Visiting’ resource launched to support babies’ emotional development

Posted: 29 April 2026

Mother with babyBradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust, has worked in collaboration with the Institute of Health Visiting, who has launched a new resource, Little Sparks, Big Starts -Health Visiting, to support parents, caregivers and professionals in nurturing strong early relationships with babies.

The initiative aligns with the Trust’s wider Ready to Relate resource, which promotes early relational health as a cornerstone of lifelong wellbeing.

For babies, these early relationships are vital. Feeling understood, safe and loved helps babies develop emotionally, learn to regulate their feelings and build strong foundations for later life.

The launch coincides with Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week 2026, (4-10 May 2026) highlighting the vital connection between parental wellbeing and infant emotional development.

Little Sparks, Big Starts-Health Visiting focuses on the importance of everyday interactions between babies and their caregivers – the “little sparks” that help build secure relationships and lay the foundations for lifelong mental health. The resource comprises a free-to-access e-learning programme with an accompanying parent app that provides accessible, evidence-based guidance to help families understand their baby’s cues, strengthen bonding, and feel more confident in their parenting journey. It supports professionals working with families to promote relational and emotional wellbeing from the very start of life.

Dr Lisa Milne, Clinical Lead of the Trust’s Specialist Mother and Baby Mental Health Service (SMABS) and Ready to Relate, said: “Maternal mental health and infant wellbeing are deeply interconnected. By supporting parents to feel understood, confident and emotionally supported, we also give babies the best possible start in life. This resource is a valuable tool in helping families build strong, healthy relationships from the very beginning.

The resource can serve as an introduction to the wider Ready to Relate programme, offering a foundation for understanding early relationships and emotional development. For those seeking more comprehensive support, Ready to Relate provides in-depth, evidence-based guidance and intervention approaches to help professionals and families further strengthen relational health and promote positive outcomes. 

Hilda Beauchamp MSc, BN, RM, SCPHN, Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Lead at the Institute of Health Visiting, said: “Early relationships are the building blocks for a child’s emotional and social development. We were delighted to be commissioned by Kindred Squared to develop the health visiting strand of their Little Sparks, Big Starts programme, a suite of educational resources that aim to raise public awareness and understanding of babies’ and children’s brain development. Ready to Relate were the ideal collaboration partner for us, developing this new resource to highlight how small, everyday moments between a baby and their caregiver can have a profound and lasting impact.

Little Sparks, Big Starts-Health Visiting is now available at: www.littlesparksbigstarts.ihv.org.uk for health visiting teams to access and use with families across the Bradford district and beyond.

Find out more about local mental health services and support: