Supporting Families Caring for Babies


International Infant Mental Health Awareness Week

9th – 15th June 2025



Infant Mental Health Awareness Week 2025 will take place from Monday the 9th of June to Sunday the 15th of June 2025. The Australian Association for Infant Mental Health (AAIMH) will be promoting this year’s theme Supporting Families Caring for Babies.

 
What is Infant Mental Health Awareness Week?
Infant mental health is an often overlooked and misunderstood subject. Infant Mental Health Awareness Week provides an annual opportunity to discuss the importance of babies’ mental health and wellbeing as well as some issues that affect it.

Australian Association of Infant Mental Health Mission
The Mission of AAIMH is to work for all infants and young children from pre-birth to age three to ensure their social, emotional and developmental needs are met through stable and nurturing relationships within their family, culture and communities.

Australia’s IMHAW 2025 Theme: Supporting Families Caring for Babies
The Parent-Infant Foundation in the UK set the international theme ‘Who is Holding the Baby’ for Infant Mental Health Awareness Week for 2025. In Australia, AAIMH has adapted the UK’s theme to focus on supporting the family system that is caring for the infant. Our adapted theme, Supporting Families Caring for Babies, considers Winnicott’s seminal work which highlighted the significance of the parental/caregiver role in early object relations, particularly the parent-infant relationship. Winnicott’s famous statement “there's no such thing as an infant” orientated society to consider that when we see an infant we need to see that there is always an infant and someone, as an infant cannot exist on their own.

In IMHAW 2025, we encourage professionals to promote within their organisations an awareness that when we work with infants, we must always consider their relationships with their parents or caregiver, and how this relational environment affects the infant we see before us. 

All parents and caregivers need support to meet the dependency needs of their infants. Some families need additional support. Access to support services for families experiencing vulnerability and complexity can be limited in parts of Australia despite the increasing need. In IMHAW we wish to promote access to support for families to meet their needs for their infants and highlight the government service gaps. 

In IMHAW, raise awareness of the support all families need when caring for their baby by:

  • Asking ourselves the question: “How is this family coping with what is happening for their infant? What supports do they have in place, and what might they need?”
  • Prompt question to a colleague: “What strengths and challenges are present for this family as they care for their baby? Do they have access to support?”
  •  Prompt question to your management “What support services can we refer families to? What support services are available for foster/kinship carers? How can we advocate to policymakers of the needs of families we are working with?

Other things you can do:

  • Talk to friends, family, colleagues, share on social media #IMHAW2025
  • Host a morning tea for IMHAW at your workplace
  • Send a letter to your local Politician highlighting service gaps for families


AAIMH Events
11th June 2025 (Wednesday) - Who is Holding the Baby Forum South Australia
13th June 2025 (Friday) - Nurturing Beginnings Forum