Child Health Services
ABC PiP
Attachment, Bonding and
Communication, Parent Infant
Partnership
This unique service was launched in January 2019 and has been developed through a Strategic
Partnership between South Eastern HSC Trust, Barnardo's, Tiny Life and Parent Infant Foundation.
Focus groups with parents were pivotal in the development of the Service.
ABC PiP is committed to early intervention and promoting good infant mental health acknowledging
that early childhood experiences are an important public health issue. Having recently been
mentioned in the Rare Jewels Report which examined specialised Parent-Infant Relationship Teams
in the UK, the Service is the first of its kind in Northern Ireland. The specialist team consists of
South Eastern HSC Trust and Barnardo's staff and is co-located in one office.
ABC PiP delivers structured and therapeutic interventions during pregnancy and for parents/carers
and children aged 0 - 24 months, the aim of which is to strengthen relationships in the early years
and to promote good infant mental health.
The Team deliver a therapeutic service which works with the strengths of a family to help them build
a positive relationship with their infant in the safety of their own home. The Team work with families at
any time during their pregnancy until the baby is 24 months and include parent/infant psychotherapy,
both individually and in groups, using both the Solihull and 'Five to Thrive' approaches.
Building capacity and system readiness with a common language and knowledge base is vital.
In the first year we have provided training to over 350 staff ranging from community, voluntary,
private sector and Trust staff and also include foster carers and prospective adopters. Some
examples of training provided:
• Solihull
• 'Five to Thrive' Approach
• Community Resilience Model
• Baby massage.
ABC PiP also plan to contribute the Trauma informed care Organisation agenda, specifically the
Solihull Trauma Informed Approach.
ABC PIP Team members at the launch of Service January 2019.
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