Around 20% of mothers in Scotland experience mental health issues during pregnancy and within the first postnatal year. Up to 10% of new fathers also experience depression in the first 6 months after birth. We know that this early period in a child’s life is critical for establishing emotional and intellectual development, and that supporting families who are experiencing mental health issues can strengthen the bonds that enable this to happen.
We have provided capacity building support to Maternal Mental Health Scotland and commissioned research which aims to understand what we can learn from third sector interventions supporting families in Scotland.
