Supporting Parent Infant Relationships Equitably

Health visitors and midwives across England are now being asked to try out three new questions designed to spot when a parent is struggling to bond with their baby. The problem is that current tools for identifying parent-infant relationship difficulties are patchy, often used inconsistently, and may miss families from different cultural or socioeconomic backgrounds. Without a standardised, equitable way to start these conversations, many parents who need support never get it. The research team—from the University of York, University of Huddersfield, Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust, and a public co-investigator—is evaluating whether these questions actually work in practice. If the evaluation shows the questions are effective, they could become a routine part of postnatal care across the NHS. That would mean more families getting help early, before relationship problems harden into lasting harm. The team is interviewing staff and parents in different settings to understand what helps or hinders use of the questions, and comparing referral rates between areas that use them and those that do not. A public advisory group of parents who have worried about their own bond with their baby is guiding the work throughout.