Infant Mental Health Awareness Week 2021: Date of IMHAW, this year’s theme - and how to get involved

There are a multitude of ways to get involved with Infant Mental Health Awareness Week and to promote this year's theme
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There is a different theme each year, with a multitude of ways to get involved with the awareness week.

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But what is Infant Mental Health Awareness Week runs every June, when does it take place and what is this year’s theme?

There are a multitude of ways to get involved with Infant Mental Health Awareness Week and to promote this year's theme (Photo: Shutterstock)There are a multitude of ways to get involved with Infant Mental Health Awareness Week and to promote this year's theme (Photo: Shutterstock)
There are a multitude of ways to get involved with Infant Mental Health Awareness Week and to promote this year's theme (Photo: Shutterstock)

Here’s what you need to know.

What is Infant Mental Health Awareness Week?

Infant Mental Health Awareness Week “provides an opportunity for everyone working in the sector to raise awareness of the importance of babies' social and emotional development, and to share work they are doing,” explains the Parent-Infant Foundation.

When does it take place?

Infant Mental Health Awareness Week takes place from 7-13 June 2021.

What is this year’s theme?

The theme for Infant Mental Health Awareness Week 2021 is ‘including infants in children and young people’s mental health.’

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The goal of this year’s theme is to encourage everyone working in children and young people’s mental health policies, strategies and services to both think about and include babies.

The Parent-Infant Foundation says “children and young people’s mental health should refer to the mental health of all children from 0-18 and beyond, but too often it is focused on older children.”

This year’s theme is encouraging everyone to think and talk about infant, children and young people’s mental health, and to consider how the mental health needs of infants can be met.

Throughout the week the Foundation will be asking professionals in mental health to pledge to include infants when they talk about children and young people’s mental health.

How to get involved

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There are a multitude of ways to get involved in the week and to promote this year's theme.

You can use the hashtags #IMHAW21 and #IncludingInfants on social media to join the conversation.

The Parent-Infant Foundation has also launched a calendar of events for the week.

If you’re running something that you’d like to be on the calendar you can also email [email protected].

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The logos for the week are also now available for you to download and use.

The All Party Parliamentary Group for Conception to Age Two is also meeting on 8 June from 9:30-11am.

This meeting will focus on local variation in the provision of services for babies and their families across England, and how this might be addressed through current reforms.

To join the meeting live, you can book a place here. The event will also be livestreamed and recorded to watch later.

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Genesis Research Trust is also running its Begin Before Birth: Emotional Wellbeing During Pregnancy & Beyond conference for the first time for the general public, looking at both the mental health of mothers and infants, which echoes the theme of this year's Infant Mental Health Awareness Week, "Including Infants".

The conference will take place on 15 June from 1.45pm to 5pm online. Tickets cost £15, but proceeds go towards supporting reproductive science research.

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