Welcome to this Winter (2021) edition of WAIMH Perspectives in Infant Mental Health. Since the last issue, COVID-19 remains a constant for many of us across the globe. The impact has been and continues to be harshly indiscriminate, especially for families with infants, toddlers, and young children.
We acknowledge every baby across the globe and strengthen our resolve to be actively engaged in ensuring that every baby is seen, protected, and provided with nurturing care, along with their families and their communities. We acknowledge all infant and early childhood mental health professionals who are working relentlessly with, and on behalf of babies and their families amidst this COVID-19 pandemic.
This issue begins with From the Desk of the WAIMH President; a paper on Infant Rights by Campbell Paul (President of WAIMH), based on his recent symposium presentation at the World Psychiatric Association Congress, Psychiatry in a Troubled World. This paper is followed by WAIMH Executive Director Corner, where Kaija Puura (WAIMH Executive Director) provides us with her current reflections as we come to the close of an extraordinary year and an extraordinary mid-year hybrid WAIMH congress.
Next, is a WAIMH paper by Maree Foley, Minna Sorsa, Neea Aalto, and Deborah J Weatherston, which summarizes the history of The Signal and WAIMH Perspectives in Infant Mental Health (2012-current). The Signal began as a WAIMH publication in 1993 and in 2012 the publication became known as WAIMH Perspectives in Infant Mental Health. This paper details the incremental steps that were taken on the journey of the publication as it for example gradually developed from a member paper and post newsletter to a fully digital WAIMH open-source publication.
Our issue then turns its focus to early child-care consultation. Alma-Jane O’Donnell, (Goodstart Early Learning), Australia in her paper “Improving infant mental health outcomes in early learning settings for children who have experienced trauma” writes about the early learner, Intensive Emotional Support Plans (IESP), developed by Goodstart Early Learning (Goodstart) that aim to foster inclusion of children who have experienced, and are experiencing significant childhood trauma. To illustrate the practice implications of the IESP, O’Donnell provides a case study.
O’Donnell’s paper is followed by a contribution that focuses on a recent podcast with Past WAIMH President Antoine Guedeney (professor of child and adolescent psychiatry (Service de pédopsychiatrie Policlinique Ney Jenny Aubry, Groupe Hospitalier Universitaire AP-HP. Nord Université de Paris et Université de Paris, France). Prof Guedeney was interviewed on Radio Television Suisse (RTS) to celebrate the International Day of The Rights of Children. The recording is in French and RTS have generously given WAIMH Perspectives in Infant Mental health permission to share this recording with our francophone members and allied global community. In addition, this podcast highlights The Alarm Distress BaBy (ADBB) scale (Guedeney & Fermanian, 2001) and provides information on how to access further information about the ADBB, including recently published paper (Egmose et al., 2021) (see page 20 for references).
The issue closes with news from the WAIMH Office by Minna Sorsa and Neea-Leena Aalto, the WAIMH Perspectives Infant Mental Health Flyer, and the current flyer for WAIMH Congress in Dublin, 2023.
As a reminder, Perspectives papers can be accessed online, with past issues dating back to 1993 currently available by following this link: https://perspectives.waimh.org/perspectives-archive/. Also, past articles are available online in text format, which in turn can be shared: https://perspectives.waimh.org/.
May you and your families and friends, stay safe and well and our warmest wishes to you all.
Perspectives in Infant Mental Health Vol. 29 No. 3 | Winter 2021
Authors
Maree Foley, Switzerland, Editor-in-Chief
Patricia O’Rourke, Australia, Associate Editor
Jody Todd-Manly, USA, Associate Editor
Azhar AbuAli, United Arab Emirates, Associate Editor
Chaya Kulkarni, Canada, WAIMH Board Member Associate Editor
Salisha Maharaj, South Africa, Intern Editor
Minna Sorsa, Finland, Production Editor
Neea-Leena Aalto, Finland, Production Editor
