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Wee Minds Matter
Infant Mental Health Service
What is Infant
Mental Health?
Infant mental health has three key parts: an infant’s ability to experience a range of emotions; the presence of safe and close relationships with important people; and the opportunity to explore and learn the skills of early childhood.
Infant mental health has three key parts: an infant’s ability to experience a range of emotions; the presence of safe and close relationships with important people; and the opportunity to explore and learn the skills of early childhood.
Why is Infant Mental Health important?
An Infant’s experiences in the first 3 years of life create the foundations for their future selves. his period of life influences health and wellbeing across the lifespan; social, emotional and brain development; self-esteem, relationships and future engagement with education and employment.
Who Are We?
We are part of a wider Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Service which also offers input to mothers during the perinatal period (conception to first birthday).
Wee Minds Matter is an infant mental health service dedicated to offering input to infants and their primary caregivers from birth to 3rd birthday.
We work with families where difficulties are identified in the infant-caregiver relationship or in the infant’s emotional state.
We aim to improve the infant-caregiver relationship, increase caregiver confidence and promote positive infant mental health.
What Do We Do?
- Training on issues relevant to infant mental health, child development and parenting.
- Consultation to professionals working with infants and caregivers.
- Direct work with caregivers to offer advice and guidance on infant mental health. We create a space for caregivers to think about what it is like to be a parent or carer.
- We also work therapeutically with caregivers and infants to enhance the infant caregiver relationship and increase the caregiver’s confidence. We work with families individually and in groups.
Where Do We See Families?
- Family Home
- NHS Buildings for example Mountainhall Treatment Centre, The Oaktree Family Centre, Health Centres
- Community buildings for example, Third Sector premises, ARC’s, Family Centres
Referral Criteria
The infant is under the age of 3 (up to 3rd birthday).
The infant is a resident in Dumfries and Galloway.
The infant is displaying significant emotional and/or behavioural difficulties in line with key indicators, relationship with main caregiver, emotional or cognitive functioning, sense of self and social interactions.
Difficulties are related to or impacting on the infant-parent/carer relationship.
Who Can Refer?
Referrals will be considered from any health or children’s services professional:
- GP
- Health Visitor,
- Social Worker,
- Educational Visitor, Nursery Staff,
- Third Sector staff,
- Mental Health Staff, Paediatrician,
- Family Nurse
Referral Information for Professionals:
Referrers can contact the service by email or telephone to discussion an infant.
We can only discuss infants when the primary caregiver has given consent to do so.
We ask that the Health Visitor or Family Nurse is made aware of the referral, as the infant’s ‘Named Person’.
We do not accept referrals directly from families.
What to Expect when your infant is referred to
Wee Minds Matter:
- When an infant is referred to Wee Minds Matter we send a letter to the parent / carer confirming that the referral has been received and accepted.
- Our first point of contact is then with the professional who referred the infant. We have a conversation with them to get more information and check Wee Minds Matter is the right service for the infant and their family.
- We would then contact the parent / carer again within 12 weeks to organise a time to meet with them and the infant.
- At our first meeting we would ask you lots of questions about the infant, you and your family in order to get to know you. We would discuss the things you and your infant are finding difficult and what Wee Mind Matters might be able to offer to help. Together we would make a plan for our work.
Contact Us
- Wee Minds Matter Infant Mental Health, Psychological Services, Mountainhall Treatment Centre, Bankend Road, Dumfries, DG1 4AP.
- 01387 244 495
Helpful Video's
WHAT IS PARENT-INFANT THERAPY?
WHAT IS INFANT MENTAL HEALTH?
We work closely with these services as part
of the wider Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Service
For more information about our Wee Minds Service, download our information leaflet
The Maternal and Neonatal Psychological Interventions Team (MNPI) offers assessment and support to families who have experienced distress as a result of experiences including birth trauma, neonatal admissions and baby loss. For more information, visit the team’s webpage
For more information about the MNPI services, download the Maternal and Neonatal Psychological Interventions Team leaflet
The Perinatal Mental Health Team provides specialist support from conception to the infant’s first birthday. For more information, visit the team webpage
For more information about the Perinatal Mental health services, download the service leaflet.
