The Infant Mental Health Framework represents a commitment by the Public Health Agency, Health and Social Care Board and Trusts, as well as academic, research, voluntary and community organisations across Northern Ireland, to improve interventions from the ante-natal period through to children aged 3 years old.

The Framework aims to ensure that commissioners and policy makers are fully informed of the latest evidence and interventions and are supported to make the most appropriate decisions based on this knowledge. This Framework aims to provide practitioners across a wide range of health, social care and education disciplines with the skills to support parents and children aged 0-3 in the development of positive infant mental health. Finally, the Framework encourages and highlights the need for service development to ensure the optimum use of evidence based interventions with families with children aged 0-3 where there are significant developmental risks.

The Framework has been the subject of an extensive engagement and consultation process; engagement has involved parents, practitioners, policy makers, young people and a wide range of stakeholders across the statutory, voluntary and community sectors. The  Infant Mental Health Framework can be viewed here.