Motion · S5M-19340 · 8 Oct 2019

NSPCC Scotland Campaign, Fight for a Fair Start

Lodged by Gail Ross Standard Motion 19 supporters

The motion

That the Parliament welcomes the NSPCC Scotland campaign, Fight for a Fair Start, which seeks to secure investment in infant mental health services to support the bond between vulnerable babies and their families; understands that, although an estimated one-in-five mums and one-in-10 dads are believed to experience mental health problems around the time of pregnancy and after birth, getting the right support at the right time is not guaranteed; welcomes the recent announcement by the health secretary of the rollout of £1 million for counselling and befriending support for new mums; believes that adverse childhood experiences, such as having a parent with a mental illness, can begin before birth and affect development outcomes throughout a child’s life; considers that specialist infant mental health services should be available to all babies and families who need them and that each maternity unit should have access to support from a perinatal mental health midwife, and calls on NHS boards to boost the priority given to perinatal and infant mental health services.

Supporters (19)

Source: the Scottish Parliament motions and amendments record.