Infant Mental Health Awareness Week 2022

Infant Mental Health Awareness Week will take place from the 13th – 19th June 2022, and this year’s theme is ‘Understanding Early Trauma’.

Infant mental health is an often overlooked and misunderstood subject, so this awareness week provides an annual opportunity to discuss the importance of babies’ mental health as well as some of the issues that affect it.

The Parent-Infant Foundation has set the theme and co-ordinated Infant Mental Health Awareness Week for 6 years, during which time it has grown into a global event.

The experiences we have in the earliest years of our lives impact the development of our brains. Experiencing trauma, such as exposure to domestic abuse, in the earliest years can have a significant impact on brain development, potentially leaving serious and lasting consequences that can create difficulties for the child into their adult years. This is not inevitable.

Secure relationships with parents and carers can reduce stress caused by trauma and limit the long term impact it has on the baby’s development. Specialist support can help to strengthen these relationships and reduce the harms to babies.

This communications pack is designed for organisations who want to help promote IMHAW and provides a range of content to support partners in exploring how they could become involved with IMHAW.

You can also follow us on social media @HumberNHSFT to get involved and share our posts to spread awareness throughout the week.