The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has released new guidance for practitioners to explore a parent or carer’s relationship with their baby.
Included in the guidance are three conversation prompts and a three-step framework that aims to help practitioners understand and identify difficulties in parent-infant relationships.
The first step in the framework, ‘starting the conversation’, suggests health visitors ask parents the following questions (with advice on how to create a safe and open environment first):
>‘What three words or phrases would you use to describe your relationship with your baby?’
> ‘What brings you the most joy in the relationship with your baby?’
> ‘What is your biggest fear about your relationship with your baby?’
Step two asks practitioners to identify potential strengths and areas of need, and step three is signposting, referring or providing further support.
The guidance is intended for, but not limited to, health visitors, midwives, early years practitioners, team leaders and service managers. Research highlights that some parents are unaware their baby’s mental health impacts their early development. The government has also released resources directly for parents and carers to help them understand their baby’s communication cues.
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