We are passionate about supporting parents, carers and professionals to make sure that every baby in Leeds has the best possible start in life. We aim to promote emotional well-being in infants, toddlers, and pre-school children, by supporting caregivers to build secure relationships. Having a baby, toddler, or pre-school child can be a special and joyous time, but we know that for many people it can also be a challenging time. There are many reasons why you might find bonding with your child difficult, either in pregnancy or during the first few years of life, such as:

• Difficulties in pregnancy
• A traumatic birth
• Difficult experiences of being parented when we were children
• Loss and bereavement
• Difficulties with our mental health (such as low mood or anxiety)

We support parents and carers in tackling these challenges and developing ways to strengthen the unique relationship between you and your baby or child. Having a close relationship with your baby helps them to get off to the best possible start in life and grow up feeling safe and secure and able to explore their world as curious and confident children.

Who’s it for?

We support parents-to-be and caregivers from pregnancy through to children who are school aged. We help families who are registered with a GP in Leeds to help them build stronger relationships with their baby or child.

We often see families in their own homes. We can also meet with you in your local health centre or children’s centre.

How to contact us

You may have talked to your midwife or spent time with your 0-19 Specialist Public Health Nurse thinking about your relationship with your baby. You and your healthcare practitioner may feel our service would benefit you if:

• You feel you haven’t bonded well with your baby or

• Being a parent or carer is stirring up difficult or confusing feelings or

• You have worrying or upsetting thoughts about your baby

You can ask your midwife, 0-19 Specialist Public Health Nurse (formerly known as a health visitor) or CYPMHS practitioner to refer you to our service.

Referrals

If you are a professional and would like to refer a family to the service, please follow these steps:

1. Explain the Infant Mental Health Service to the family and provide them with our leaflet.
2. Ensure that the family consent to the referral.
3. Contact us and book a duty call to discuss the referral (0113 843 0841).
4. Following this telephone conversation, you can refer the family by completing our referral form and sending it to leedsimh@nhs.net.

Download our referral form for under 2’s

Working with professionals

We can support you in your role helping families from pregnancy through to children who are school aged through our referral service, training, consultation and reflective supervision.

What training is available for me?

Our training integrates neuroscientific research about how babies develop with attachment theory and evidence-based practice on how to support emotional and social development in the early years of life. For example, we can help you to better understand how babies’ brains develop and how you can promote secure attachment relationships. Please go to www.eventbrite.co.uk and search for Leeds Infant Mental Health Service for information about our upcoming training dates. To discuss how we can tailor our training to your requirements, email: training.imh@nhs.net.

How can I get support or advice for a family I’m working with?

If you are working with a family that is struggling with their relationship with their baby, please contact us to book a duty slot with a practitioner and we will discuss your concerns. There are a number of options we could offer to support your work including: reflective case discussions, professional consultation and by working directly with the family. Some of these options will require a referral. Contact us for more information.