The Western Health and Social Care Trust hosted its fifth annual infant mental health conference at the Manor House Hotel in County Fermanagh. The event, funded by the Public Health Agency, was held to mark Infant Mental Health Awareness Week, which runs from 8 to 14 June 2026, with a focus on the theme of attunement.

Keynote speaker Sally Hogg addressed the gathering on the critical role of attentive and responsive caregiving. She said that tuning in to babies’ needs is one of the most important things a caring adult can do, and that society as a whole must also pay attention and respond to the needs of infants.

Maeve Linton, manager of Cherish Sure Start, a community-based early years organisation, stressed that attunement helps babies feel safe, secure and understood. She said the conference offered a valuable space for services to share learning and strengthen their collective commitment to giving children the best start.

A range of organisations exhibited at the event, providing details of support programmes available across the Western Trust area. Among those with information stalls were Lakeland Home Start, the NSPCC’s Pregnancy in Mind project, Tiny Life, Mindwise, and the Trust’s own Family Nurse Partnership and Health Visiting Team.

Dr Priscilla Magee, an event organiser from the Children and Young People’s Strategic Partnership and the Trust, described the conference as a learning opportunity that will help align statutory, community and voluntary services in delivering consistent, collaborative family support.

Brian Leonard of the Public Health Agency said that early relationships are the building blocks for healthy development, and that promoting responsive caregiving helps build resilience, reduce future mental health difficulties, and tackle health inequalities.

Lisa Storey, the Trust’s Child Development Interventions Coordinator, said the annual conference shines a spotlight on infant mental health, a subject she said is often overlooked despite its profound impact on lifelong health and wellbeing. She added that working together can help ensure every baby has the opportunity to thrive.