GroBrain
Helping practitioners translate neuroscience into ‘lightbulb’ moments for parents
About GroBrain
The parent-infant relationship is the single most powerful influence on early brain development, yet practitioners often find it hard to explain the neuroscience in a way that gets parents engaged. This is where GroBrain comes in…
GroBrain’s unique visual materials transform practice by helping practitioners bring bonding and brain development to life, making this vital topic accessible, relatable and engaging for parents across all levels of need.
GroBrain is a cost-effective training programme for health, social care, education and voluntary sector practitioners to support and promote infant mental health, using a suite of visual materials that are easy for parents to understand.
A report from the Parent-Infant Foundation* recommended that ‘All families be offered a strengths-based education package, such as GroBrain or similar, to enhance their understanding of the importance of parent-infant relationships with their current and future children.’
Our training courses equip practitioners to integrate infant mental health into their regular work with parents, either one-to-one or in groups.
Training for 1:2:1 work
The Foundation Course equips trainees to integrate infant mental health into their regular practice with parents 1:2:1.
Training to run our Baby Course
The Baby Course Facilitator Training equips trainees to deliver a GroBrain Baby Course to parents with babies pre-birth to 12 months, in a group setting (or online).
Training to run our Toddler Course
The Toddler Course Facilitator Training equips trainees to deliver a GroBrain Toddler Course to parents with children aged 1-3 in a group setting (or online).
Why use GroBrain?
Attuned, responsive caregiving in the first three years of life is vital for healthy brain development and creating strong foundations for lifelong emotional health and wellbeing.
GroBrain helps practitioners explain complex theory in quick visual ways that are easy for parents to understand.
GroBrain is low cost, effective and flexible.
GroBrain is predominantly a universal programme but can be used with parents at all levels of need, by using highly memorable visual materials.
GroBrain supports a wide range of practitioners to improve their practice.
GroBrain integrates easily into existing practice and approaches.
The Association for Infant Mental Health UK (AiMH UK) confirms that GroBrain utilised the IMHCF (The Infant Mental Health Competency Framework) in the development of its training and resources.
Practitioner Feedback
“GroBrain is central to all we do…”
“We link GroBrain into everything. It really gets the messages across and can be applied to any situation. We ask parents what three things they can remember about Jig-So support and I can guarantee that GroBrain is top of the list for all their answers. They remember GB above all the other material.
We also use GroBrain with parents who have had children removed from their care previously, to help them understand how their childhood has impacted them and what they can do to ‘rewire’ their brain as adults now. 90% of our cases take their babies home and GroBrain is a huge part of that.”
Mike Davies, Jig-So Early Intervention Manager, Swansea
Hull Family Hubs
“What on earth were we doing before Grobrain?!
It's so easy to remember, so easy to teach, so simple and so easy for our families to remember - even our low IQ families.”
Laura Shackleton, Early Help Senior Family Support Worker
South Tyneside Family Hubs
“The parents respond to Grobrain really well, it draws them in and they want to know more.
Grobrain allows you to use all your senses when you're learning. They're hearing it, they're seeing it, they're saying it, they're actually living it. Parents engage well across the levels of need and how we determine that is that people come back every week and complete the course. Retention is the hard part, getting them in can sometimes be difficult. But GroBrain is very popular, once they're in they're retained.”
Claire Hannard – Early Years Practitioner, Infant Mental Health
Cardiff Council
“The word gets around. It must have got around because parents will come to me and say ‘Do you do the GroBrain programme?’
The parents absolutely love the visuals, because the visuals make it hit home and are so easy for them to remember. It’s obviously had such a positive effect on so many families because it gets talked about.
GroBrain changed my way of working. I think when the message hits you as a person, you get passionate about the programme, then all you want to do is spread the word to the team and spread the word to parents and families.
Aileen Johnson, Flying Start Parent Group Coordinator, Cardiff Council
GroBrain Shop
Information for parents
We have a selection of archived posts on Instagram (@_grobrain) and Facebook (Grobrain) with a community of over 45k parents and practitioners.
