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L-r: Mairead Carolan, Senior Clinical Psychologist, HSE Mental Health Services; Brendan Scahill and Hilary Fitzgerald, Community Work Department, HSE and Catherine Maguire, Senior Clinical Psychologist, Child & Adolescent Psychology HSE at last Friday’s launch in Mallow. Photo: Ger McCarthy Photography

Minister of State for Primary Care, Social Care and Mental Health, Kathleen Lynch TD, formally launched the North Cork Infant Mental Health Network Model at the Mallow Primary Healthcare Centre last Friday, July 17th at 2pm.

Over the past number of years primary care psychology services in Cork North have received significant referrals pertaining to infants and toddlers who have problems with sleeping and feeding or situations where parents find it very difficult to soothe them. If persistent, these stressful and upsetting problems can place considerable strain on the relationship between parents/carers and young children.

Catherine Maguire, Senior Clinical Psychologist and Infant Mental Health Specialist, said research tells us that the quality of a parent’s relationship has a direct impact on the infants and toddlers social and emotional development and that early intervention is very important when problems occur, especially in the early years of an infant/toddler. Left untreated, their effects can impact negatively on physical, social and emotional health.

The North Cork Child and Family Psychology service developed the Infant Mental Health (IMH) model to meet the needs of these young children and their families. Master classes were devised and delivered by them to frontline professionals who come into contact with young children and families, to increase their knowledge and skills in this area with the aim of ensuring that young children have their needs met at the earliest possible contact.

During the next stage of the model, the HSE primary care psychology service enlisted the support and collaboration of the Cork North Community Work Department, which in turn led to the development of Infant Mental Health Network Groups in the community. These groups are made up of a wide range of professionals who have contact with young children and families such as staff from HSE and Tusla, family resource centres, community childcare projects, ethnic minority services and others.

The purpose of these groups who meet regularly is to expand and consolidate clinical knowledge and to support its integration into their work with families. The North Cork Infant Mental Health Network Groups are believed to be the first of their kind internationally.

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