Give babies the best start despite pandemic
Merle Davies
Tuesday, February 23, 2021
The nation’s mental health and wellbeing has been discussed at great length over the past few months and attention has recently been drawn to the mental health of babies and infants by a report commissioned by the First 1,001 Days Movement.
Working for Babies: Lockdown Lessons From Local Systems looks at what it calls the “baby blind-spots” of government and decision makers, referring to the historic lack of focus on the needs of babies and infants (from conception to two) and the failure, in England particularly, to give the needs of babies the same focus as other age groups.
During lockdown the number of times professionals physically see this vulnerable group has been significantly reduced.
A reported rise in unexplained injuries in children aged 0-5 combined with a rise in parental anxiety and incidents of domestic abuse, and a reduction in referrals to services, is leaving our most vulnerable children even more vulnerable. Family and friends are no longer able to visit, the days of the newborn baby coming home to be held and cooed over by every relative and family friend has been replaced by virtually no contact with the outside world. Locally parents tell us that their babies and toddlers are nervous and anxious when they meet new people as they are used to only seeing the members of their household. The Working for Babies report makes the case quite succinctly that being a baby during lockdown is a risk factor in its own right due to their specific needs and vulnerabilities and dependency on not only others but their environment as well.
We are all eagerly awaiting the imminent publication of the review into early years healthy development led by Andrea Leadsom MP. It needs to address not only the trauma this age group has experienced but the lack of visibility, which means important assessments and development reviews have been missed. As we move into a recovery phase this important group needs to be at the centre of our thinking and decision making.
What is positive, is that in March a guide for implementing trauma-informed care in maternity and perinatal mental health services will be published by NHS England and Improvement. Written by the Centre for Early Child Development, in partnership with the University of Birmingham and University at Buffalo, this will help to ensure that babies and their parents are supported by services in which harm is reduced and recovery supported.
We know the science and that the period between conception to two is the most critical stage in a person’s life in terms of brain development. If we don’t get it right now we know it will cost us all in the long term.
