A new report has recognised a baby and infant bonding service serving Warrington as being a ‘rare jewel’.
Halton and Warrington’s Baby and Infant Bonding Support (BIBS) together with Knowsley’s Building Attachment and Bonds Service (BABS), run by North West Boroughs Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, are amongst the few areas in the UK to have teams doing such valuable work.
A wealth of evidence shows that serious, persistent difficulties in early relationships – if not addressed – can have effects on babies’ brain development, and lifelong physical and mental health.
The charity Parent Infant Partnership UK has found that there are only 27 specialised parent-infant relationship teams in the whole of the UK, meaning that most babies live in an area where there is no support.
The Trust however, is doing valuable work to provide specialist support to families where babies’ emotional wellbeing and mental health is most at risk. Today’s report describes how services for children under two are not only incredibly important, but also require practitioners to have specialist skills in how to work with babies and their families.
In Halton and Warrington, the Baby and Infant Bonding Support (BIBS) offers specialist therapeutic support to parents who are experiencing difficulties bonding or developing their relationship with their baby.
Our national award winning Building Attachment and Bonds Service (BABS) in Knowsley, helps parents and infants to build the best possible bond and attachment relationship. Dr Lisa Marsland, Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Strategic Service Lead for the service, was in Parliament to support the release of the report alongside Parent Infant Partnership UK.
The full report was launched in Parliament on Monday (June 10) with Minister Jackie Doyle-Price and MPs Tim Loughton MP (Con), and Paul Williams MP (Lab), along with calls for specialised parent-infant relationship teams available to support all families who need them by 2030.
Dr Karen Bateson, Head of Clinical Strategy and Development at Parent Infant Partnership UK said: “It is now widely recognised that what happens in the first 1001 days of a child’s life, from conception to age two, is key to enabling that child to thrive. During this period of rapid brain growth, babies are shaped by their environment, particularly their relationship with their parents. Healthy brain development depends upon babies having secure, responsive relationships with their parents or caregivers.”
Simon Barber, Chief Executive at North West Boroughs Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“I’m incredibly proud that both of our parent infant mental health services have been cited in the Rare Jewels report that was launched in Parliament, for the fantastic work they do. We are one of only a few trusts across the UK that offers such services to families in the community.
They are working with some of the most vulnerable families in the UK who desperately need these services, which will help them break through their difficulties and build on the most important thing in their lives – their relationship with their baby”.
To view the Rare Jewels report – specialised parent-infant relationship teams in the UK, visit: www.pipuk.org.uk
For more information on our Baby and Infant Bonding Support (BABS) in Halton and Warrington, visit: www.nwbh.nhs.uk/bibs-halton-warrington
For more information on the Building Attachment and Bonds Service (BABS) in Knowsley, visit: www.nwbh.nhs.uk/babs-knowsley
Pictured From left to right: Dr Lisa Marsland (Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Strategic Lead for BABS), Sally Hogg (Head of Policy and Campaigning at PIPUK), Dr Beckie Lang (CEO at PIPUK)
