Surge in infant mental health issues during both lockdowns

Centre coordinator Rachel Copeland said that it was readily recognised that adult and adolescent mental health was a key issue during the pandemic, but it was an equally stressful time for infants and their families.

‘Almost all Guernsey families with babies and infants will be aware of Bright Beginnings services but is relatively unknown outside the families that use the service and those that refer to us.’

In a survey of 5,000 families in the UK about the impact of Covid , 70% of reported increased difficulties around familial relationships and the need for support.

Mrs Copeland said the British survey results were reflected in Guernsey.

‘Bright Beginnings, which supports new parents of children from birth to five years of age, had been working with 80 to 100 families pre-Covid, but the pandemic saw the numbers increase and the centre now works with more than 120 families every week.’

Bright Beginnings Children’s Centre is operated by the Guernsey charity Every Child Our Future. It is a free service and acts as a hub for families with social and exercise groups, play sessions, courses, workshops, one-on-one and group support.

It is funded by donations and from the revenue raised through its adjoining nursery and preschool. The centre focuses on the development of the 1001 Critical Days agenda – the period between conception and a child’s second birthday.

‘The period of time between birth and going to school is crucial in the emotional development of a child. It can colour the rest of their lives.

‘What happens during this time lays the foundations for future wellbeing development. Persistent difficulties in early relationships can have pervasive effects on many aspects of child development with long term costs to individuals, families, communities and society,’ Mrs Copeland said.

Mrs Copeland said there was real demand to work with many more families.

‘During the lockdowns we managed to get a lot of our work up on Zoom very quickly and we managed to host 157 sessions online and, when we were allowed to be together again, we had an increase in visitors to the centre which just hasn’t stopped.’

Mrs Copeland said the surge in demand for services had served to reinforce how vital Bright Beginnings was to Guernsey families.

‘On the wish list of what we’d like to achieve in the next year is to have further States of Guernsey recognition for our services.

‘We have really great relationships with the professionals with whom we work in partnership but what really needs to happen is that all of our referrers, Bright Beginnings and the relevant States services are joined up in a more concrete way.’

Mrs Copeland has expansion in her sights as well.

‘The States kindly donated our buildings on the site of the old infant school at Delancey, but we need to expand our services and expand our team and that takes money.

‘I know there are individual deputies who have taken a real interest in what we do so we will look to build on these relationships – all working together to provide these vital services in the very important early years of a child’s life.’