Anna Freud to support creation of National Parent-Infant Relationship (PAIR) Framework

Anna Freud will support the creation of a new National Parent-Infant Relationship (PAIR) Framework after the project was awarded more than £1million in funding from the National Lottery Community Fund.

The four-year project will be led by the Parent-Infant Foundation in collaboration with Anna Freud, who will lead on research, and the Ideas Alliance, who will lead on coproduction.

Babies depend on sensitive, responsive relationships to grow and develop healthily. But many do not get the nurturing care they need. Parent-infant teams and services support and strengthen relationships between babies and their parents or carers. They also join up the wider system to support parent-infant relationships.

But parent-infant teams and services are not available everywhere and there is currently no national pathway or guidance. The National PAIR Framework will address these challenges by developing best practice guidance to support implementation of parent-infant relationship pathways and improve provision.

The Framework will draw on best practice from parent-infant teams and services across the UK. It will bring together insights from people with lived and learned experience, research, evidence from practice and professional guidance.

The new initiative has extensive support from key stakeholders across the system who work with and advocate for babies. This includes the Royal College of Midwives, the Institute of Health Visiting, the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Local Government Association.

The National PAIR Framework will focus on the antenatal period up to age two, and link with relevant pathways and guidance for young children and expectant parents.

Professor Eamon McCrory, CEO of Anna Freud, said:

“The first 1001 days of a baby's life, from conception to age two, are critical for lifelong development. We know that early, joined up support makes a real difference for families. However, while there are pockets of excellent services for parents and infants across the UK, access is unfortunately unequal, and many aren’t getting the support they need.

“With this funding, we look forward to working with partners to help address this postcode lottery. Eventually, we hope all babies and parents will thrive with support from services drawing on best practice.”

Keith Reed, Chief Executive at the Parent-Infant Foundation said:

“We are thrilled to have secured this funding from the National Lottery Community Fund.

“Every baby deserves a good start in life. Development of this National Parent-Infant Relationship Framework will really help us get closer to our vision of a UK in which all parents and carers are supported to create sensitive, nurturing relationships with their babies to lay the foundation for lifelong mental and physical health.

“A lot of work has already been done in starting to bring this National Framework project to life and I’d like to thank the National Lottery Community Fund for believing in this cause. Thanks too to our team at the Foundation, our delivery partners and other key stakeholders for their work, insights and support so far. We are excited to get this ambitious 4-year project underway.”

Lucie Stephens, Director at Ideas Alliance said:

“At Ideas Alliance CIC, we know that the most effective and meaningful change happens when people with lived experience are at the heart of shaping services and systems. The Parent-Infant Foundation’s commitment to co-producing a national Parent-Infant Relationship Framework embodies this ethos. By working in genuine partnership with babies, parents and practitioners, this initiative promises to create a framework that is not only evidence-informed but also rooted in the real experiences of babies and their caregivers. We’re proud to collaborate with the Parent-Infant Foundation and Anna Freud in this important work.”

Find out more

Research for this project is being carried out through Child Attachment and Psychological Therapies Research (CHAPTRe), a research unit run in partnership by Anna Freud and UCL.

Anna Freud offers a range of resources, training and networks developed by expert clinicians to support early years professionals. For example, sign up to our newsletters such as Early Years in Mind, a free network for practitioners

About Anna Freud

Anna Freud is a mental health charity and we’ve been supporting children and young people for over 70 years. We listen to and learn from their diverse voices, and integrate this with learnings from our science and practice to develop and deliver mental health care. This holistic approach has world-changing potential – our training, schools support, networks, partnerships and resources equip those who impact children and young people’s lives with the knowledge and skills to support their mental health.