The Scottish Government has announced that charities which provide support to pregnant women, new mums and their families are to share £1.5 million expand and enhance their mental health and wellbeing services.

Estimates shows that up to 20 per cent of mums and up to 10 per cent of dads are affected by poor mental health in the perinatal period.

The Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Fund is now open for applications. The fund is designed to enable organisations to provide a range of one-to-one and group-based support and care for parents, carers and new babies.
 

Since 2019, more than 10,000 parents, expectant parents and infants have been supported by existing funded organisations.

The new round of funding will start from October 2024.

Mental Wellbeing Minister Maree Todd said: “It is very important that all mothers and their families have access to good mental healthcare throughout pregnancy and the postnatal period.

“The third sector provides vital access to perinatal mental health support, and we are dedicated to supporting them to do so.

“This latest round of funding of up to £1.5 million, building on previous awards of over £2.8 million over four years, is designed to increase the provision of parenting and infant support, peer support and counselling or psychological support. The Fund will enable organisations to provide the services that women and their families need.”

Marie Balment, infant mental health lead, Perinatal Mental Health Network Scotland said: “We’re delighted the Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Fund has been opened for a new round of funding for 18 months. This will enable statutory perinatal and infant mental health services to work alongside charity partners to continue offering essential perinatal mental health services that support families with babies.

“The contribution of third sector organisations is needed now more than ever, providing necessary support to parents recovering from mental illness and promoting the mental wellbeing of families during a time of vulnerability. This includes vital work promoting positive parent – infant relationships and infant mental wellbeing, which has a lifelong impact.”