Free family fun event to help celebrate Infant Mental Health Awareness Week

Posted: 06 June 2022

Come and join the family fun event at the Woodroyd Centre, Bradford, BD5 8EL on Tuesday 14Mother with baby June, 10.00am to 12.00noon, to help celebrate Infant Mental Health Awareness week, which takes place 13 to 20 June.

The event has been organised by the Little Minds Matter team at Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust, is free to attend and open to all the family. There will be lots of fun activities for children, including outdoor play fun and baby massage. They will also be joined by various services for families from across Bradford, including Breastfeeding Support, to offer information about the help that is on offer across the District. Everyone is welcome, just turn up on the day.

Throughout the day on Thursday 16 and Friday 17 June, the team will be out and about across Bradford to chat to people about the support they offer and how to refer to the service – look out for them at a GP surgery, community centre or supermarket near you. Dr Charlotte Dunster-Page, Principal Clinical Psychologist and Infant Mental Health Pathway Lead with the Little Minds Matter team said: “Infant Mental Health describes the social and emotional wellbeing of babies.

Research has shown that sensitive, nurturing relationships between parents / carers and their babies are really important to infant mental health and can have a positive impact on children’s lifelong physical and mental health. We hope throughout the week we can get out and chat to as many families as possible, sharing information and raising the awareness of the support that is on offer for people if they need it.”

Alex Spragg, Programme Director, Better Start Bradford, commented: “It’s great to see our projects supporting Infant Mental Health Awareness Week and it would be lovely to see local families at the Woodroyd event. This week helps raise awareness of how important infant mental health is. Baby’s brains are shaped by their experiences and small things like smiling, making eye contact, play and mirroring are really important for a baby’s development.”

The Little Minds Matter service  works directly with families in the Better Start Bradford area of Bowling and Barkerend, Bradford Moor and Little Horton. Having a baby is a huge change and can be a challenge for many parents. The team works with families throughout pregnancy and up to a baby’s second birthday. Little Minds Matter also offer training and consultation to professionals working with families through the Bradford district. Little Minds Matter is a Better Start Bradford Project. Infant Mental Health Awareness Week runs every June and is organised by The Parent-Infant Foundation. The week aims to increase awareness of the importance of babies’ social and emotional development.

Throughout the week Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust’s Health Visiting and Little Minds Matter teams will also be sharing information on Twitter, you can find them @LMM_BDCFT and @BdcftHVs.