GroBrain moves training online to cater for increased demand for mental health support
At GroBrain, we have been working hard on ways to supply our infant mental health training in a safe way to healthcare and childcare practitioners during and after the pandemic. As a result, we have invested in a new website and are offering all our training online.
GroBrain trains professionals to help parents ensure their baby’s brain develops strongly.
Since 2008, we have delivered hundreds of hours of face-to-face training to health visitors, nursery workers and other childcare professionals across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In England alone, around 10% of children aged 5-16 have a recognised mental health condition.
Foundations for emotional wellbeing are laid in the earliest months when the brain is developing at its fastest. Infant mental health and brain development are new to many parents and, sadly, information they can access readily on the internet doesn't always reflect the up-to-date science. It means health visitors, GPs and local parenting services have a vital role to communicate good practice and counter this misinformation.
We know that many parents and children are struggling with the isolation and lack of contact, with a result that there is likely to be an even greater need for infant mental health training post-Covid. In addition, we also recognise that professional resources and budgets are likely to be squeezed even further.
Our response is to make our training easier for professionals to access wherever they are, in a safe and cost-effective manner. We have also adapted our courses to give you the tools you need to deliver our tried and tested GroBrain messages in a virtual group setting online as well as face to face with the groups of parents, babies and toddlers you have in your care.
I believe that the pandemic has changed the way training will be delivered moving forwards. The need to stretch resources, cut costs and reduce environmental impacts makes in-person training less practical. The new technology will enable us to train more staff, more cost-effectively and at more convenient times to fit in with their busy schedules.
GroBrain online courses
The Foundation course is delivered generally online (either in the trainee’s own time or tutor-led for in-house groups). This equips staff to integrate infant mental health into their regular work with parents on a one-to-one basis. On completion of the Foundation Course, practitioners can apply for further training to deliver the GroBrain Baby Course or Toddler Course. This is completed online in tutored sessions via Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
One of our long-standing clients, Tania Hayward, Parenting Coordinator at Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council, said, “We were concerned we might lose some of the buzz and impact without having trainers in the room. But our staff found the online sessions with the Grobrain Team just as powerful as if they had been with us and, obviously, a lot easier to organise in the current circumstance.”
Don’t forget, GroBrain also supports practitioners and their clients through Instagram and Facebook to help parents navigate their way through the mass of contradictory advice they may encounter.
We are happy to provide advice on training and resources for infant mental health to any professionals, both in statutory and private nursery environments. Contact us to find out more.