Consultancy from the Parent-Infant Foundation
Consultancy from the Parent-Infant Foundation
Every local authority and Integrated Care Board working under the Best Start for Life programme faces the same challenge: how do you embed a strong, sustained parent‑infant relationship focus across an entire system? That is exactly what our Clinical Associates consultancy is designed to help you do.
Since 2022, the Parent-Infant Foundation has worked alongside local authorities and health boards across the UK to develop and strengthen their parent‑infant relationship provision — from early service mapping through to established Parent-Infant Relationship Services (PAIRS). Whether you are just starting out or looking to build on what already exists, we can help.
Why work with us?
The Parent-Infant Foundation is uniquely placed to offer this support. For over a decade we have guided new and developing parent‑infant services across the UK. Our Clinical Associates are senior clinical leads of specialised Parent-Infant Relationship Services — practitioners who have done this work themselves, in the real world, and who bring that direct experience to every local area they support.
They combine deep expertise in infant mental health and parent‑infant relationships with practical knowledge of what it takes to develop, commission, and embed services within complex local systems. Critically, they also carry the trusted Parent-Infant Foundation brand — giving local partners confidence in the quality and independence of the support they receive.
What we can help with
We work flexibly to meet local areas wherever they are. Support can range from intensive, long-term consultancy — for example, guiding an area through the full process of establishing a PAIRS — to focused, short-term input on a specific challenge. Our Clinical Associates can also attend local Infant Mental Health or 0–2 Steering groups on an ongoing basis.
Areas we have supported include:
- Population-level needs assessments
- Service mapping and gap analysis
- Parent‑infant relationship pathway development
- Implementation of parent‑infant relationship interventions across the system
- Strategy development and drafting
- Embedding the voice of the baby and a parent‑infant relationship focus in service design
- Facilitating partnerships and cross-system collaboration
Resources that support delivery
Our Clinical Associates draw on the Parent-Infant Foundation’s suite of proven service development tools, including:
- Service Mapping Tool — to identify what exists locally and evidence gaps in provision
- Network Resource Library — policies, job descriptions, assessment tools and strategy documents from across the sector
- Commissioning Toolkit — practical guidance for commissioning a parent‑infant team
- Implementation Toolkit — step-by-step guidance for setting up a new service
- Evidence on the impact of parent‑infant teams — to support business cases and strategic conversations
Get started
We offer a free initial consultation to discuss your current position, the challenges you are facing, and where our support could make the biggest difference. From there, we can agree a plan that suits your area and introduce you to the most appropriate Clinical Associate.
We would also encourage you to join the Parent-Infant Network — a UK-wide network of parent‑infant teams and services. Network members benefit from online learning, national events and access to a wealth of resources from across the sector.
Contact [email protected] to arrange a free consultation, find out more about costs, or explore Parent-Infant Network membership.
Our work in practice
The challenges facing local areas are rarely identical — different geographies, different starting points, different system pressures. These case studies show how our Clinical Associates have worked alongside local authorities and Integrated Care Boards across England to strengthen parent-infant provision in ways that fit their context.
- Strategy Development, Workforce Development
Designing a new Infant Mental Health team and tailoring workforce training
At the planning stage for a new specialist team, a council needed expert input on its business case, service specification, and how to tailor training for its local workforce.
- Strategy Development
Developing a parent-infant strategy and securing cross-agency commitment to delivery
A Start for Life team needed expert support to develop a parent-infant strategy and secure cross-agency commitment — including drawing CAMHS into a joined-up local pathway.
- Strategy Development
Joining up universal and specialist parent-infant provision to create a seamless local service
A council with an existing specialist team wanted to develop complementary provision at every level — and needed an independent voice to bring the whole system together.
- Multi-Authority, Strategy Development
Building system-wide strategy and local delivery across a complex integrated care footprint
Four local authorities within a single ICB footprint, each at a different starting point, needed both a shared strategic framework and tailored local support to build their offer.
- Workforce Development
Raising workforce confidence and building a pathway for parent-infant relationships
Frontline practitioners needed confidence to translate their understanding of parent-infant relationships into practice, and the area needed a pathway to bring fragmented provision together.
- Strategy Development
Building a joined-up parent-infant relationship strategy where none existed
Fragmented local provision, no overarching strategy, and a workforce lacking specialist training — a city council needed expert support to map the landscape and chart a way forward.
- Strategy Development
Developing a parent-infant relationship strategy across a council and its wider Integrated Care Board
A newly established parent-infant team needed strategic direction and clinical support to shape its offer across both the council area and the wider Integrated Care Board footprint.