A parent information leaflet to promote mental health in children

Positive mental health is an essential element of every child's overall health and lays the building blocks for mentally healthy adults. There is increasing emphasis on childhood mental health as a public health issue. Nurses should be able to provide parents with clear, practical and accurate information to promote and maintain positive childhood mental health. This article describes the background to, and development and piloting of, My Mind Matters Too, a parent information leaflet promoting positive mental health for young children. The leaflet cannot operate in a vacuum but must be combined with other services and interventions if it is to bring about changes in the often complex area of childhood mental health.