Mental health of infants and young children in Australia and Aotearoa-New Zealand is a foundation for lifelong mental health.

This report calls for greater focus on prevention and early support through addressing social determinants, reducing stigma, and removing barriers to accessing services to provide opportunity for children to establish lifelong patterns of mental health and wellbeing, allowing them to be safe, healthy and ready to thrive. Read the full report to find out more about providing essential early support for infants and children at risk of mental illness.

The report is intended to:

• provide an update on understanding of the associations between risk factors and mental health problems/psychiatric disorders in infants and children

• identify how risk factors can be detected and managed in infants and children 
• identify opportunities for prevention and early intervention in Australia and Aotearoa-New Zealand
• summarise current evidence for the effectiveness of strategies for the prevention and early management of mental health problems in infants and children
• outline a framework for integrating early intervention into health care in Australia and Aotearoa-New Zealand across healthcare system levels, agencies and settings
• identify areas in which further research is needed to inform clinical care and delivery
  
  

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For further information please contact policy@ranzcp.org