1.Zoe Brown (She/her) – Project Manager Lothian Breastfeeding Buddies
My role is to manage the Lothian Breastfeeding Buddies. We offer Breastfeeding Peer Support to all families within the Lothian area. Our support is both in hospital and in the community with groups in areas across the city. We also offer 1;1 support via video link to all families. Anyone whose baby/child is receiving any breastmilk is welcome to use our services. The support we offer is free; all our peer supporters are fully trained and have been recruited using safer recruitment principles. We are here to support families on their breastfeeding journey to achieve their own goals. We work alongside other third sectors organisations and NHS Lothian
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2.Darcey Blair (She/her)- Community Development Manager- Dr Bells Family Centre
I am the Community Development Manager for Dr Bells Family Centre, a child-friendly family and community centre, based in the heart of Leith, Edinburgh. We work with families from pregnancy to the child’s fourth birthday. We offer a variety of holistic services to help support the parents and young families of Leith. Our programme of activities are created in partnership with our families and adapts to the changing needs of the community to ensure we give their little ones the best start in life.
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3.Jackie Davidson (she/her) – Perinatal Service Manager and Health Improvement Lead, Midlothian Sure Start
jackiedavidson@midlothiansurestart.org.uk
My role is to lead our small team to develop and deliver community-based parent and infant services for Midlothian and in Prestonpans and Tranent in East Lothian. Our services include service delivery and training of Instructors of our AIMH UK accredited early intervention programme 'A Good Start' (AGS); In the team we also offer Dads2B, Dynamic Dads, OK (Open Kindergarten), Raising Children with Confidence and we each hold a caseload for referrals both self and professional. We are also currently developing and piloting in collaboration with those in our services a CBT early intervention course.
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4.Dr Liz Drewett - Principal Clinical Psychologist - Lothian Perinatal Community Mental Health Team.
elisabeth.drewett@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
I provide assessment, formulation and individual psychological therapy with patients under the care of the Perinatal Community Team. I offer supervision and consultancy to colleagues in the team and beyond.
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Home-Start Edinburgh is a volunteer led family support service that provides emotional and practical support to families with a child under 5, because childhood can’t wait. We deliver a variety of group work including peep, baby massage and play sesions, as well as 1:1 home visiting support, to families. Through our services we work with families to identify opportunities for change and support this through work in the home, or in the community. We accept referrals from families as well as professionals.
We are the only registered charity in Scotland that is a peep training centre and can facilitate training for professionals as well as supporting parents on the peep progression pathway.
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6.Megan Lanigan (she/her) - Change and Improvement Manager - Lothian Parent and Infant Relationship Service (PAIRS) and Maternity and Neonatal Psychological Intervention (MNPI) team
Megan.Lanigan@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
I provide service management support to these two teams.
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7.Kathryn Lawrence (she/her) - Executive Director - Kin Collective
kincollectivecic@gmail.com | fb/ig @kincollectivecic
I am the founder of Kin Collective, a community interest company and social enterprise that supports parental wellbeing in the perinatal period. We operate from our Family Wellbeing Hub in Leith, and in addition to delivering in person support at our hub, we also provide outdoor and online sessions. Our Perinatal Wellbeing Project provides accessible peer support to expectant and new parents. Through the provision of peer, professional and practical support we connect parents together building a parenting community around them. Our social purpose is to improve confidence and wellbeing for parents from pregnancy into parenthood. I look forward to connecting up with more of the Collaborative through our meetings and would warmly welcome anyone that would like to arrange a visit to find out more at our hub.
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8.Thomas Lynch (He/Him) - Service Manager/Co-founder - Dads Rock
Responsible for the day to day management of the Dads Rock services, as well as leading the strategy and development of our charity across Scotland. Providing a range of services for Dads and families, with the aim of improving outcomes for children across Scotland. Currently working in person in Edinburgh and Glasgow, as well as online. We offer:
Dads Groups - buggy walks, playgroups, trips
Dads Perinatal Peer support
Dads Whatsapp groups
Music lessons
Parenting workshops - Dads Antenatal, First Aid, Hairstyle, Sleeping
Young Dad 1:1 support
Always happy to work with others.
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9.Jamie MacDonald-Liddell – REAS Clinical Nurse Manager for the Specialist Mental Health Services at St John's Hospital
j.macdonald-liddell@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
I am CNM for Perinatal Mental Health Services in Lothian including the Livingston Regional Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) and the Perinatal Community Mental Health Team (PCMHT). I also cover the Regional Eating Disorders Unit (REDU), The Scottish Mental Health Service for Deaf People and have professional responsibility for the nurses in the Lothian Eating Disorders Service (LEDS). I have operational management of the nursing and wider Multi Disciplinary Teams while providing leadership to promote high professional standards. I am responsible for supporting the senior management team to build and sustain nursing services through service redesign and by promoting safe, effective and person-centred, evidence-based practice. Part of my role is also to advise and contribute strategically to the perinatal National Managed Clinical Network, Regional planning groups and National Services Division.
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10.Lisa Main- Team Leader at Children 1st Edinburgh Family Wellbeing Service
I manage a team of staff involved in and support the development of a number of services within the Children 1st Edinburgh Team. These services provide a whole family approach to practical, emotional and financial support to prevent and protect children and their families from harm and to support them to recover from trauma and abuse. These services include working with families on the cusp of care in partnership with the social work department, working as part of a consortium to provide support to families referred by education, Armed forces families and our Dad’s service which supports fathers with children under 5 years old across the city. Our whole family approach to support aims to strengthen relationships, build resilience, and improve outcomes for children through ensuring fathers feel confident, valued, and supported in caring for their children in early years. I am always more than happy to be contacted directly regarding support we can offer to families. Please feel free to get in touch.
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11.Kathryn Masterson (she/her) – Participation Officer – Parent & Infant Mental Health Scotland
kathryn.masterson@pimhs.org.uk
I work with Scottish Government’s Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Programme Board to ensure the views of people with lived experience of PNIMH services are involved in the work of the Programme Board. I also support teams in all the Scottish health boards to recognise the value in engaging with people with lived experience of PNIMH services and promote embedding this into their service development. I have a particular remit to support developing Infant Mental Health services to engage with families and their infants. This includes helping to elevate the infant to an equal position in the minds of those designing and delivering PNIMH services and promoting the practice of capturing the infant’s experiences of services to inform service design and delivery. All of this is through an equalities lens to advocate that everybody, no matter their background, should have their voices heard and services that work for them.
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12.Rhona McAlpine (she/her) – Advanced Occupational Therapy Practitioner – Lothian Parent and Infant Relationship Service (PAIRS)
rhona.mcalpine@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
I work within the NHS Lothian Infant Mental Health Team (Lothian PAIRS). Magnifying the voice of
the infant, with an interest in sensory attachment.
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13.Susan McConachie - Regional Perinatal Nurse Consultant –Mental Health
Susan.mcconachie2@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
My role is to provide strategic, professional and clinical leadership and consultancy in nursing practice across the spectrum of perinatal mental health within perinatal mental health services across NHS Lothian, Fife, Forth Valley and Borders whilst also contributing to and influencing National advances and developments in the clinical field. I have a lead role in maximising the contribution that values and evidence based nursing makes to the patient journey in the areas of:- expert clinical practice professional leadership and consultancy education, teaching and research practice and service development & evaluation
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14.Eilidh Macdonald-Harte (she/her) - Clinical Manager and Senior Psychotherapist @CrossReach Perinatal Counselling Service
eilidh.macdonald-harte@crossreach.org.uk
0131 225 6028
My role is the management, development, and delivery of our specialist perinatal counselling service in the Lothians. We offer:
1-2-1 counselling
Postnatal Counselling Group
Prenatal Counselling Group
Art at the Start, dyadic work supporting the parent infant relationship in partnership
with Dundee University.
Resilient, confident birth preparation course for parents
Stay and Play sessions in creche, discovering baby lead play and communication.
Infant Massage
Training in Perinatal Mental Health Counselling Skills to Professionals
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15.Neil McIntosh - Scotland Director, NSPCC
Lead in the delivery of NSPCC’s 10-year strategy in Scotland including Childline, Helpline, School Service, Direct Services to families and local campaigns. Our strategy aims to achieve greater change for children through an increased focus on prevention, partnerships and collaboration with communities so that we can inspire more people to be there for children.
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16.Isabelle Mercadante - Early Years Team Leader, Multi-Cultural Family Base
Isabelle.mercadante@mcfb.org.uk
The Early Years Service at MCFB delivers targeted support to Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic families in the City of Edinburgh for vulnerable infants and young children up to the age of 3.
Our small team is multi-disciplinary with qualifications in/extensive experience of Social Work, Art Psychotherapy, Infant Mental Health and Early Years Education. We also work with and supervise Social Work/Art Therapy students on placement with the team. At its core, our service delivery is aimed at improving perinatal and infant mental health through short-term or intensive intervention to support parent-infant attachment through play, therapeutic relationship, and advocacy/practical support when needed. The work can take place at home or within one of our supported Early Years groups, one of which is delivered bilingually in both Mandarin and English.
Our practice is attachment-based, trauma-informed, grounded in a psychodynamic model drawing on themes of containment, mentalization, infant observation and the importance of early experiences. Cross-cultural curiosity is an integral to our practice.
We welcome referrals from health professionals, statutory and voluntary agencies, as well as self-referrals.
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17.Mathilde Peace - Lay Chair of Lothian Maternity Voices Partnership (MVP)
I am the lay chair of the MVP in Lothian (I do not work for the NHS; I am an unpaid volunteer).
MVPs are statutory bodies and each Health Board is required to have one. They bring together various people who have an interest in maternity and neonatal services: future parents and parents, health care professionals and health care providers. All the members aim to work together to improve services by gathering feedback from and working in partnership with the local population.
We currently meet 6 times a year, online (Microsoft Teams). Around 35 members attend the meetings regularly out of a membership list of over 100. Over 40 members are either new or expecting parents and/or representatives of the 3rd Sector partners.
We also have a number of MVP-led focus groups that meet separately.
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18.Joanne Robison – Bereavement Support Services Co-ordinator (Scotland) – Sands
Sands offer support throughout the UK for anyone affected by any type of Baby Loss. We offer a helpline, local support groups as well as online meetings along with online support channels. My role is to ensure that anyone who may need help in Scotland is made aware of our support and to work with other Baby loss charities or anyone who may be supporting those affected by Baby loss as part of another support organisation. I also have a role supporting our befrienders within our Scottish groups.
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19.Charis Samuels (she/her) - Baby Charter Officer, Bliss Scotland
I work with the neonatal units in Scotland and help them through their Baby Charter auditing process to promote, improve and highlight the importance of Family-Centred care in all aspects of life on a neonatal unit for families. I work alongside parent, psychosocial and health care professional volunteer assessors when helping a unit towards accreditation. I work with Scottish Government and the neonatal network to assist the neonatal units in achieving the Best Start guidelines with particular interest in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion standards. Feel free to contact me to find more about Bliss and the Baby Charter accreditation process.
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20.Jules Stapleton Barnes (she/her) – Development Worker – LGBT Health and Wellbeing (Edinburgh Community Programme)
I work in the Edinburgh team to deliver a programme of events and social opportunities for LGBTQ+ people living in and travelling to Edinburgh. These events range from smaller workshops, classes and community discussions, to larger social activities like roller discos, swimming parties and community celebrations. The type of activities we host is very much led by community needs and interests and current resources, but always delivered with the support of a dedicated events team of volunteers.
As part of this programme, we host events and activities for LGBTQ+ families, including new parents and those who are waiting for or expecting children. These events (and our whole programme) give LGBTQ+ people an opportunity to connect with their community, meet and make friends, build their social and support networks, grow their self-confidence and pride in who they are.
To ensure the programme meets the varied needs of our community, I often work in partnership with ally organisations and professionals, who are committed to expanding their awareness and understanding of the LGBTQ+ community and making services and spaces more inclusive and relevant.
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21.Evelyn Swinton - Volunteer co-ordinator - Home-Start East Lothian
evelyn@homestarteastlothian.co.uk
Home-Start East Lothian is a volunteer befriending service that offers both one to one and group support to families, who have at least one child under five years, across the entire East Lothian area.
Some families are supported through our baby and parent groups, our breastfeeding support groups in partnership with Breastfeeding LENS or our Healthy Minds, Happy Babies well-being group.
We also deliver Raising Children With Confidence, Dads2Be in partnership with Dads Work and the Sure-Start A Good Start (AGS) programme and BookBug.
The core of our work however, is delivered through our one to one befriending service where our trained and skilled volunteers support parents in their own environment without judgement. This support can be both practical and/or emotional and lasts for around one year.
My role is to train the volunteers and support both the families and volunteers in their relationships. I am also the lead for our service with regards to The Promise and Perinatal Infant Mental Health.
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22.Claire Sodergren (she/her) – Project Support Manager – Lothian Parent and Infant Relationship Service (PAIRS)
Claire.sodergren@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
I work within the NHS Lothian Infant mental health team (Lothian PAIRS) supporting the teams development to get the service up and running to work with families and professionals across Lothian. Part of my role includes admin support for the LPC collating the agendas, actions points and sharing information with the collaborative members. Please feel free to contact me if there is any way I can support you with your involvement within the collaborative.
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23.Morag Wilson - Chief Executive – Stepping Stones North Edinburgh
moragwilson@steppingstonesnortedinburgh.co.uk
Stepping Stones North Edinburgh is a third sector organisation that supports the wellbeing of families from pregnancy through to the primary school years. Bump Start is our service which specifically supports pregnant women and their families, offering both one to one support and group work.
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