Perinatal Mental Health
Perinatal Mental Health is Everyone's Business!
Northern Ireland has committed to implement the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
(NICE) Guidelines on Antenatal and Postnatal Mental Health and the Integrated Perinatal Mental
Health Care Pathway (Public Health Agency 2012).
Responding to women with mental health needs associated with pregnancy or the postnatal period
is integral to the role of the Health Visitor within the Stepped Care Model.
A healthy parent-infant relationship is the foundation for good mental health across the life course
and in turn a healthy society.
The South Eastern HSC Trust Health Visiting Team have engaged in the perinatal Mental Health
Service development and have appointed Perinatal Mental Health Champions in each Public
Health Nursing Team availing of training provided by Institute of Health Visiting March 2019.
Infant Mental Health Strategy
Infant mental health focuses on the social and emotional
development during the first three years of life. This
includes the child's ability to form relationships, to recognise
and express emotions and to explore and learn about their
environment in a safe and happy way.
The South Eastern HSC Trust have been committed to
early intervention and promoting infant mental health and
previously launched the South Eastern HSC Trust Infant
Mental Health Strategy.
Many services have been developed for a number of
years, including the implementation for the Family Nurse
Partnership and the unique South Eastern HSC Trust New Parent Programme, which provides an
intensive Health Visiting Service to vulnerable first time mothers of every age.
The Trust is committed to improving how we work with all babies and young children and their
mothers, fathers and carers in order to address the opportunities and needs for all those children
and families in our population who are vulnerable to poor outcomes and experience a greater level
of health inequalities.
Child Health Services
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