Best Practice Guidelines
Infant mental health practice refers to the promotion of optimal development and well-being in infants (prenatal to age 3) and their families, the prevention of difficulties, and intervention when infants are at-risk or have identified problems. The goal of infant mental health services is to ensure optimal child outcomes in terms of a sense of security and self-esteem, and the ability to form satisfying relationships, to engage with the world, to learn, to cope and problem solve, and to continue positive development throughout life. Infant mental health services strive to promote stable and supportive families and communities.
Infant Mental Health Promotion has developed a series of documents and practice guidelines relevant for program managers, child care and front-line service providers, and organizational staff to support high quality services in the field of infant and young child mental health.
These documents address a range of topics including:
Vicarious Trauma in the Workplace - Supporting Practitioner Effectiveness with Young Children in High Risk Families
Organizational Policies & Practices
Competencies
Core Prevention and Intervention for the Early Years
Vicarious Trauma in the Workplace - Supporting Practitioner Effectiveness with Young Children in High Risk Families
In the current service delivery climate, organizations are required to provide care for young children in increasingly complex family situations. Repeated exposure to the suffering of others, high caseloads, overwhelming paper work, high public expectations and inadequate workplace support can mean that some highly trained professionals burnout and leave the field or remain and become ineffective.
To address these serious issues IMP formed a Task Force on Vicarious Trauma in the Workplace and developed a position paper.
To download a copy of the Task Force's Position Paper with its findings and recommendations to reduce practitioner burnout and increase practitioner effectiveness with young children at risk click here.
Organizational Policies and Practices to Support High Quality Services in the Field of Infant and Young Child Mental Health
Organizations have a responsibility to ensure that practitioners are able to provide ongoing competent support and intervention to young children and their families. This means preventing or alleviating vicarious trauma in the workplace. Such a responsibility involves creating policies and practices that ensure appropriate training and support for their staff. Infant Mental Health Promotion has developed these guidelines for practitioners who work with young families in various disciplines and settings (e.g., hospitals, public health, child welfare, childcare, children's mental health, and family resource centres).
To download a pdf copy of this document click here.
Competencies for Practice in the Field of Infant Mental Health
IMP has developed this document outlining the knowledge and skills needed by infant mental health practitioners from a broad range of disciplines in order to provide competent care specific to each infant and family.
To download a pdf copy click here.
Core Prevention and Intervention for the Early Years
IMP has published a document which provides a framework for the different types of interventions needed by young children and their families.
To download a PDF copy of the document, click here.
This Document was developed by an Ad Hoc Committee - Tom Bowman, Joanne Cummings, Sarah Landy, Margaret Leslie, Loretta Rowan & Rhona Wolpert
as a follow up to IMP's Core Competencies, 2002 and Organizational Practices re Supporting Practitioners, 2004.
Core Prevention and Intervention Document References
Bakermans-Kranenburg, M.J., van Ijzendoorn, M.H., & Juffer, F. (2003). Less is more: Meta-analyses of sensitivity and attachment interventions in early childhood. Psychological Bulletin, 129(2), 195-215.
March 16-19, 2003 - The Banff Centre, Banff, Alberta, Canada Effective Programs for Early Child Development: Linking Research to Policy and Practice. Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development (CEECD) (http://www.excellence-earlychildhood.ca/home - See "Colloquia")
Home Visiting: Recent Program Evaluations (Spring/Summer 1999). The Future of Children 9 (1) (http://www.futureofchildren.org - See "Publications")
Infant Mental Health Promotion (2004) Supporting practitioner effectiveness with young children in high-risk families - see Organizational Practices
Infant Mental Health Promotion (1997) Early identification of infants at risk. Draft screening tool
Landy, S. (Winter 2001-02) Fulfilling the promise of early intervention. IMPrint, Vol. 32
Landy, S. & Menna, R. (forthcoming Oct. 2005) Early intervention with multi-risk families: An integrative approach. Baltimore MD: Paul Brookes Pub.
Mrazek P.J. & Brown C.H (1999). An evidence-based literature review regarding outcomes in psychosocial prevention and early intervention in young children. Part II. In: C.C. Russell (ed) The state of knowledge about prevention/early intervention. Invest in Kids.
Triple P Positive Parenting Program. Parenting and Family Support Centre, School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Australia (http://www.pfsc.uq.edu.au/)
What works in promoting children's mental health? The evidence and the implications for Sure Start settings - Research brief (http://www.surestart.gov.uk/_doc/0-34D33E.pdf)
Thomas D, Leicht C, Hughes C, Madigan A, Dowell K (2003) . Emerging Practices in the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. 127 pages. (http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov/topics/prevention/emerging/report)