Who We Are
A global organization that includes those states and countries whose associations for infant mental health have licensed the use of the Competency Guidelines (MI-AIMH Copyright © 2024) and/or Endorsement for Culturally Sensitive, Relationship-Focused Practice Promoting Infant & Early Childhood Mental Health® under their associations’ names.
““Being part of the Alliance helps us connect with colleagues, resources, news, and research around the world. It keeps us focused on the infant mental health work within our state, while broadening our understanding and desire to contribute to global work and perspectives.””
The Goals of the Alliance are to:
Promote the relational health of infants, young children, and their families
Support professionals who serve birthing people, infants, young children, and families through workforce development that includes specialized experiences in:
Education
Work
In-service training
Reflective supervision/consultation
Respond to interest from new associations for infant mental health (AIMHs)
Provide technical assistance to AIMHs who have newly licensed the Competency Guidelines and Endorsement as workforce development systems
Assure fidelity to the use of the Endorsement process
Identify funding to strengthen and support the infant & early childhood mental health (IECMH) field
Increase access to the Infant Mental Health Journal
Connect researchers, evaluators and scientists from across the globe to support research and evaluation, to inform IECMH research and to allow for collaborative research projects
Convene policy makers and advocates to serve as champions for policies and practices that foster the healthy development and well-being of young children and those who care for them, with an emphasis on policies that integrate IECMH practices into early childhood service delivery across systems
Support the development of an evidence base for the Infant Mental Health Home Visiting model
Connect AIMHs to make use of shared resources
With the increase of programs dedicated to serving birthing individuals, infants, young children, and their families, the demand for professionals proficient in applying infant and early childhood mental health (IECMH) principles is both expanding and imperative. Various sectors, including behavioral health, child welfare, early care and education, Early Head Start and Head Start programs, early intervention services, healthcare, home visiting programs, infant and early childhood mental health consultation, infant and early childhood mental health treatment services, as well as Safe Babies Court Teams and other specialized baby courts, require personnel well-versed in IECMH approaches.
To ensure that professionals in these fields are adequately equipped, the specialized in-service training and reflective supervision/consultation requirements outlined in the Competency Guidelines and Endorsement serve as invaluable tools. The guidelines provide a structured framework for professionals to acquire the depth and breadth of knowledge and skills necessary for integrating IECMH principles into their practice. Through reflective practice experiences, professionals can effectively apply these principles, thereby enhancing the quality of care and support provided to birthing individuals, infants, young children, and their families across diverse program settings.
Alliance Annual Reports:
“Connection, camaraderie, and support: Being connected to an international network of IECMH peers allows us to access knowledge, expertise, research, and support from those with a unique, infant and early childhood mental health informed perspective. Influence: Aligning with the Alliance allows us to speak with a larger voice, one informed not only by our state’s experiences, perspectives, and needs, but from the experiences, perspectives, and needs of an international network made up of a workforce of thousands of IECMH professionals.
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