Targeted home visiting intervention: the impact on mother-infant relationships

This paper reviews and reflects on six papers, which describe various early home visiting interventions that resulted in positive outcomes, particularly in relation to the mother-infant relationship. The papers were published in a special issue of the Infant Mental Health Journal in 2006. We provide a brief overview of each paper, highlighting the conclusions drawn across the six papers. Key learning points for health visitors in the UK are explored throughout. Suggestions are described for improvements to the way in which health visiting services in the UK are structured in order to further enhance mother-infant relationships. The overall finding is that mother-infant relationships and interactions can be improved through early home visiting interventions over a period of time, and that this prevents childhood problems later on. It is recommended that specific patient groups be targeted and offered tailored programmes of interventions that have a relevant theoretical base, by trained nursing staff who are supported by an infant mental health consultant.