The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood has announced funding for a groundbreaking mental health pilot programme in London nurseries.
The initiative, called Happy Little Minds, will place mental health practitioners in early education settings across Tower Hamlets and Hackney.
The 12-month pilot represents a partnership between children's charities Barnardo's and Place2Be.
It aims to support approximately 150 babies, young children and their families through enhanced mental health provision in nursery settings.
The programme, which begins this month, will see mental health experts providing specialised training and ongoing consultation to nearly 50 early education practitioners across two nurseries.
The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood has announced funding for a groundbreaking mental health pilot programme in London nurseries.
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The focus will be on developing social and emotional skills in the earliest years of childhood.
The practitioners will deliver bespoke training on social and emotional development whilst providing guidance for parents and direct support to selected children and families.
The initiative extends beyond traditional nursery education by embedding mental health expertise directly into early years settings.
Christian Guy, Executive Director of The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, said: "Early education and childcare settings can play such an important and influential role in supporting children and their families at such a vital time, in all sorts of ways."
He added: "If settings are well-supported to promote social and emotional development in babies and young children, there is huge potential to positively impact all children, and for early intervention and prevention of future mental health conditions in those most at risk, which could be truly transformational both for individuals and society."
The Princess of Wales has consistently highlighted the critical importance of social and emotional development in early childhood.
The Princess of Wales has consistently highlighted the critical importance of social and emotional development in early childhood.
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These foundational skills shape how children manage emotions, communicate with others and explore their surroundings.
Research demonstrates that numerous mental health difficulties in teenagers and adults originate in early childhood.
Early intervention with babies and parents can prevent issues from becoming entrenched and escalating later in life.
The Centre for Early Childhood published The Shaping Us Framework earlier this year to enhance awareness of social and emotional skills across society.
This framework and additional resources developed by the Centre will form part of the training package for nursery staff.
With over 90% of three and four-year-olds now in formal childcare, these settings offer substantial opportunities to reach families with vital support services.
The concept for Happy Little Minds emerged during the Shaping Us National Symposium in November 2023.
The Centre for Early Childhood published The Shaping Us Framework earlier this year to enhance awareness of social and emotional skills across society.
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A conversation between a senior infant mental health specialist from Barnardo's and Catherine Roche, Chief Executive of Place2Be, sparked the initial idea.
Following the symposium, the two organisations developed the proposal further before approaching The Royal Foundation for funding.
Their vision involves co-developing a model with families and practitioners to determine what works effectively in early years settings.
Guy emphasised: "Place2Be and Barnardo's have such a wealth of experience to offer, and this pilot is an important step forward in understanding more about how this can be delivered to best effect."
The ultimate goal is creating a scalable model that could be implemented more widely across early education settings in future.
The announcement coincides with Infant Mental Health Awareness Week, highlighting the critical nature of early years mental health support.
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The announcement coincides with Infant Mental Health Awareness Week, highlighting the critical nature of early years mental health support.
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This marks the second pilot programme funded by The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood.
In 2023, the Foundation supported a trial of the Alarm Distress Baby Scale (ADBB), an observation tool for Health Visitors.
The tool examines babies' social behaviours including eye contact, facial expressions, vocalisations and activity levels to help practitioners and families better understand infant emotional expression.
Following overwhelmingly positive results from the initial phase in two NHS Trusts, the ADBB pilot expanded to eight additional NHS sites earlier this year.
This expanded phase will continue until March 2026, demonstrating the Foundation's commitment to evidence-based early intervention approaches.
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