Mini Minds Matter is an Infant Mental Health Team, consisting of:
- two clinical psychologists
- a mental health nurse
Why is this important?
An infant with good mental health and emotional wellbeing can:
- enjoy being with other people
- clearly show adults what they need
- play and learn
These three things are important for infants now. They also lead to children, teenagers and adults having good mental health.
Why might we work with an infant?
It can be exciting to be pregnant or to have a baby or toddler. It can also feel very hard and not what you expected.
Parents and carers can have big worries. These worries are normal, but we don’t always talk about them. Parents can feel like they are the only ones with these feelings.
- Many parents feel they are not bonding with their baby like they hoped
- Some parents think they are not doing a good enough job
- Lots of parents have big worries about how their baby is feeling or behaving
- Parents can think about how life was for them when they were young. It can be upsetting if these are difficult memories. It can make it hard to enjoy your baby in the way you want.
How do I get support as a parent or carer?
To access support:
- talk about your worries with your Health Visitor, Midwife, or Family Nurse
- you can also talk to your GP if you prefer
- the worker can ask for a consultation with Mini Minds Matter
What happens at a Mini Minds Matter consultation?
The consultation is a workers’ meeting between Mini Minds Matter and your workers. At this meeting, we talk about how to support you and your baby. The team will write a note of the discussion in your baby’s health record.
Your health visitor, midwife or family nurse will then talk to you about what was discussed at the meeting. In the future, Mini Minds Matter will use this meeting to work out which families need extra help from the team themselves.
Do I have to agree to a consultation?
No. It is your choice whether your workers should contact us.
Resources for parents and carers
- 25 things and videos about baby communication (The Association for Infant Mental Health and the Institute of Health Visiting)
- Tips and advice to help with the highs and lows of parenting (Parent Club)
- Training and support to help with mental health and wellbeing in parents and children (Solihull Approach)