The Princess of Wales has made a major announcement regarding a cause very close to her heart. Princess Catherine’s Centre for Early Childhood announced that it’s taking the next steps in its project to introduce an innovative observational health-visiting tool to the UK. The tool in question – known internationally as the Alarm Distress Baby Scale (ADBB) – is used by health visitors within routine checks to promote infant wellbeing.
Catherine first saw the tool in use when she met health visitors in Denmark in February 2022, and her centre has been working with the Institute of Health Visiting (iHV) ever since, to bring the benefits of the approach to families in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Centre for Early Childhood has funded ADBB pilots in several NHS Trusts.
Today, the centre said that it will now fund the iHV to develop an implementation guide to support areas considering commissioning the model, create new supporting resources for those undertaking the training, and establish and manage a national community of practice to support practitioners in the continued use of the model throughout their careers.
ADBB focuses on a baby’s social behaviours, such as eye contact, facial expressions, vocalisation, and activity levels, to help practitioners and families better understand how babies express their feelings and support parents and carers in bonding and attachment.
It can also be used to recognise early signs of psychological distress, enabling specialist support to be accessed as soon as it is needed.
The news follows the publication of highly positive evaluation of phase two trials, which recommends it be commissioned for use across the country.
Christian Guy, Executive Director of The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, said: “By equipping practitioners and families to understand what babies are communicating from the very start, we can give infants a stronger voice in early conversations, identify where extra support may be needed earlier, and help families build the responsive, nurturing relationships that we know are so important in shaping lifelong outcomes.”
Alison Morton, CEO of the Institute of Health Visiting said: “The findings reinforce the role of health visitors as highly skilled practitioners, able to build trusted, therapeutic relationships with families and to guide sensitive, open discussions.
“Getting the right support to families at an early stage can have a hugely positive impact on a baby’s whole life. We want every commissioning body in the UK to consider using this tool so that every family with a newborn can benefit.”
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