Release time: 2026-06-08 16:02
BPS guidance for the mental health of babies, children and young people in Wales aged 0-5
The guidance follows the Mental Health of Babies, Children and Young People in Wales report from Public Health Wales
Words: Dr Abigail Wright and Dr Bethan Phillips
Rising distress among children and young people in Wales is a societal issue, and psychology offers evidence-based ways to intervene earlier, providing relational, emotional, and preventative support.
The latest Public Health Wales report paints an alarming picture that emotional distress among babies, children and young people (BCYP) is becoming both more widespread and more deeply embedded due to a complex interplay of a number of factors, from social and economic to environmental and technological.
The findings of the report show that:
25 – 30% of babies in Wales could benefit from specialist parent-infant interventions but only a third are likely to receive support before the age of two.
135,000 children and young people in Wales are estimated to have a diagnosable mental health condition
An estimated 1 in 4 girls, 1 in 6 boys and 1 in 2 trans or gender questioning secondary school learners are experiencing low mental wellbeing 36% of reception children are below the expected level of personal and social development for their age Self-harm and eating disorders are rising sharply, especially among girls.
The report reinforces what psychologists have long argued; that babies and children's mental health cannot be separated from the environments in which they grow, learn and develop. In order to better understand their needs right at the start of their lives, it is crucial to listen to their voices and perspectives.
Despite the worsening trends in BCYP mental health in Wales, there has been a policy shift to include babies in service design and delivery, which we warmly welcome because support in the very early years will positively impact on children and young people in the future. The new mental health strategy for Wales, 2025-2035 places a commitment under to build "…a connected system where all people receive the appropriate level of support wherever they reach out for help", which specifically includes babies.
This policy draws on the NEST framework (Fframwaith NYTH), developed by Clinical Psychology Dr Liz Gregory. NEST a co-produced strategic planning tool that helps organisations in Wales collaborate to build holistic, "no wrong door" mental health and wellbeing services for babies, children, young people, and their families. Using a whole systems approach it reaches beyond mental health and into schools and communities.
BPS Guidance – 0 – 5 years
The new BPS guidance The emotional health and wellbeing of babies and young children from pregnancy to age five highlights that improving mental wellbeing is not solely about expanding specialist healthcare services, but about embedding psychologically informed practice across education, health, family support and communities. The guidance provides practical examples and frameworks that have been proven to improve outcomes across the UK.
The first 1000 days is crucial in a child's development and the parent-infant relationship is the 'best port of entry for effective mental health interventions" in terms of attachment and emotional regulation. Our guidance (as well as the PHW report) recognises that the voice of babies and very young children have historically been under-recognised and that we must move toward designing services that are baby-centred to address the 'baby blind spot'.
All services should adopt universal principles that are family-focused, community and evidence-based, and psychologically formulated, with joined-up systems that consider both the child and the broader environment influencing their wellbeing
The guidance covers the importance of psychologically informed approaches to the mental health of babies and young children. Babies rely on caregivers not only for physical care, but also for emotional regulation, safety, comfort and opportunities to explore and learn. Secure, attuned relationships help babies and young children develop resilience, emotional regulation and healthy long-term outcomes, while trauma, neglect, inconsistent caregiving or prolonged stress can negatively affect neurological, psychological and physical development. Children also develop within wider ecological systems shaped by family circumstances, housing, poverty, discrimination, parental mental health and community support.
The guidance also looks at why the voices and perspectives of babies and young children is so important. Even before they are able to communicate verbally, babies are active communicators, expressing their needs and emotions through behaviours such as eye contact, facial expressions, movement and vocalisations. Adults and professionals can interpret and respond sensitively to these cues. We must take a baby-centred perspective and continually ask what experiences feel like from the child's point of view through the use of observation, play, creative methods and reflective practice to better understand children's emotional worlds. The youngest and most vulnerable children are often the least heard, particularly where caregiving relationships are disrupted or emotionally unavailable.
Psychological services, multidisciplinary teams and wider systems should ensure that babies' experiences remain central to assessment, decision-making and intervention planning, including within legal, safeguarding and therapeutic contexts.
We don't live in a perfect world. As public services face financial restraints impacting on the workforce, and while parents experience the cost-of-living crisis and other external pressures, we must build on the groundwork in Wales to create better systems.
With a new Welsh government in place, the BPS is keen to provide the expertise needed to help shift the focus from late intervention to prevention and resilience-building through supporting the early years. Practitioner psychologists play key roles in the promotion, prevention, identification of mental health needs and the delivery of interventions where support is needed.
We would echo here what is written in our guidance:
The psychological professions are central to supporting the needs of under-fives and are an important part of multidisciplinary provision across settings and systems. (The guidance details the professions and their roles.)
There are compelling psychological and other reasons why we should support mental health for babies and young children and the psychological professions play a key role in this… It is recognised that this part of the workforce needs to grow.
What good looks like for 0–5s requires both psychologically informed care delivered by a range of professions and the specific roles of the psychological professions across direct and indirect care, and leadership.
If we want to improve outcomes for future generations in Wales, mental wellbeing must be treated not as a standalone health issue, but as a foundation for education, equality, community resilience and long-term national wellbeing. The psychological professionals are central to delivering this. But ultimately, design and support are developed collaboratively and must be informed by lived experience, particularly around what works well in practice. It is about being adaptable and responsive, as well as creating the right climate/environments in the first place, to reflect the diversity of individuals and ensure equity through a needs-led approach.
Read our Psychology Matters article on the Nurturing Families Service (NFS) in Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board, one of the few specialist parent-infant relationship teams in Wales: Psychology Matters: 'To feel like you're contributing something towards breaking cycles of adversity and building resilience. What could be more rewarding than that?' | BPS
