The Institute of Health Visiting (iHV), in partnership with Dr Ranjana Das and Dr Paul Hodkinson from the University of Surrey, has launched three new ‘Factographics’ interactive resources – designed to better support the mental health of new mothers and fathers.
Mental health problems in the time around having a baby are common and, left untreated, can have significant short- and long-term impact for all members of the family. Identifying problems early and offering the right support and treatment maximises the opportunity for good outcomes for the whole family. The new resources, based on research findings by Dr Das and Dr Hodkinson on new parents’ mental health, were developed in partnership with the iHV, parents and professionals, who worked together to translate the findings into meaningful sustainable resources that can be used by parents and professionals at every local level.
The three new interactive Factographics resources to support perinatal mental health are oriented to groups or areas where we know there are unique unmet needs – namely, new fathers, mothers from British South Asian communities, and parents who had a baby during the COVID-19 pandemic.