Core Components

Mellow Parenting, based in Glasgow, offers a series of evidence-based programmes targeting parents, infants and children. The Mellow Babies Programme is one of a family of seven available programmes.

The Mellow Babies Programme is an attachment and relationship-based group intervention programme for mothers with additional and complex social care needs (and fathers run separately) with babies 0 - 12 months.

The programme, delivered over 14 weekly sessions, is held in the afternoon as part of a full day programme (c.10 am – 2.30pm). Mellow Babies follows on from a morning gender specific personal group session - Mellow Mums or Mellow Dads – and includes an interactive lunch between parents and babies. Mellow Babies cannot be delivered independently of Mellow Mums or Mellow Dads. The programme is clearly operationalised with a comprehensive suite of manuals including a structured practitioners manual ‘Going Mellow’ in which the content of each session is fully described including a range of practitioner templates, checklists, forms and questionnaires; a ‘Mellow Evaluation Manual’ and a ‘Learning to Observe Manual’.

The format of the Mellow Babies sessions includes a mixture of reflective and practical techniques to allow parents to address their personal challenges and the challenges they face with their babies including (1) Observing (2) Reflecting (3) Sharing (4) Nurturing (5) Learning and (6) Modelling and uses strength-based video-feedback to reflect on parents own interactions with their babies. Parents are also encouraged to participate in home-based activities referred to as ‘Have a Go’ to put into practice learning from the workshops.

Delivery of the programme requires two trained practitioners, although three is encouraged to ensure practitioner coverage. The programme focuses on eight core topics (1) What do babies do all day (2) What can babies do (3) Bonding with baby (4) Emotional and social development (5) Sleep (6) Playing (7) Harmful parenting (8) Safety in the home.

Fidelity

To support fidelity across all programmes Mellow Parenting provides (1) Standardised training (2) Practitioner manuals and tools (3) Monitoring using an evaluation framework supported by the Mellow Parenting Evaluation Team (4) Accreditation of practitioners and (5) Agency organisational supports. Access to Mellow Parenting experts to support practitioners to effectively replicate the programme is available on request via face to face in their premises, skype, telephone calls or email at no additional cost.

Modifiable Components

The 8 core components of the programme are not modifiable and are required to be delivered. However, there are extra sessions for practitioners to select according to the make-up of their group.

Mellow Babies has been adapted for inclusion in the Mellow Futures Babies Programme which is specially designed for parents with learning difficulties/disabilities.

Mellow Babies has been translated into German, Icelandic, Romanian, Russian and Tajik.

Support for Organisation / Practice

Mellow Parenting is an ISO9001 accredited Scottish charity based in Glasgow. Capacity to implement Mellow Babies in Scotland has been identified with over three hundred Mellow Babies, Toddlers, Mums and Dads practitioners trained in Scotland.

Implementation Support

Mellow Parenting provide new sites/agencies with optional support during the implementation phase. These supports include a robust Evaluation Framework supported by the Evaluation Team who provide guidance in relation to data collection, evaluation and how to maximise the use of findings along with detailed evaluation reports for each group. Ongoing general support is available from the Mellow Parenting Office by email, phone, skype or in person. Senior trainer support is also available for practitioners if any issues arise during group delivery in the early stages of implementation and a dedicated website is also available for practitioners that includes programme resources and materials for downloading. These supports incur no additional cost.

Licence Requirements

There is no licensing requirement to deliver Mellow Parenting Programmes however practitioners must hold a certificate of training to deliver the programme.

Start-up Costs

Start-up costs include an upfront one-off fee for the Mellow Babies Programme priced at £1,175.00 per person which includes practitioner training, a suite of practitioner manuals, access to the Practitioners website with downloadable resources, implementation support and supervision for one practitioner.

Building Staff Competency

Qualifications Required

Academic qualifications are not required to become a Mellow Babies Practitioner. Experience in infant/maternal/paternal mental health, early years and group work along with personal attributes such as empathy, nurturing and openness are desirable.

Training Requirements

Practitioner training is a requirement and is a 3-day training course (covering Mellow Mums, Dads, Babies and Toddlers) delivered by trained practitioners. On completion, practitioners will receive a certificate of training required to deliver Mellow Parenting Programmes. Training is delivered in Scotland and across the UK however agencies can also commission training to be delivered onsite to a cohort of a maximum number of 10 participants at a cost of £11,500 for the three days intensive training including trainers and their travel and accommodation costs. A train the trainer programme is also available which is a 2-day training programme at a cost of £200.

Supervision Requirements

Mellow Parenting Practitioners have the option to become an accredited practitioner. This is done by working through the formal Accreditation framework that comprises two core components:

1) Reflective Consultation - following training practitioners must engage in coaching, supervision and mentoring with review of case vignettes and video feedback. This is undertaken over 2 to 3 discussions and can be accessed in the Mellow Parenting Office (occasionally in London) or by skype or phone at no additional cost. There is an option to request a Mellow Parenting Consultant to travel to an agency venue at a cost of £250 consultancy rate exclusive of travel and accommodation costs.

2) Evaluation - agencies/practitioners submit pre and post group qualitative and quantitative data specific to each programme. This data is analysed by the Evaluation Team to inform the production of bespoke group evaluation reports. These reports can be used by practitioners to evaluate and validate programme effectiveness.

Successful completion of both Reflective Consultation and Evaluation will result in practitioner Accreditation. Re-accreditation, following the same process, is required thereafter every two years to remain an accredited practitioner. There is no cost to becoming accredited however re-accreditation will incur a fee of £75.00.

Theory of Change 

Mellow Parenting Programmes are based on psychological theories of attachment, social learning and cognitive behavioural therapy.  The foundation of all Mellow Parenting Programmes is attachment theory with emphasis on the transmission of attachment and relationship styles across generations. The programme goals are clearly articulated which are (1) to help mothers (and fathers) develop a secure attachment with emphasis on increasing positive parent-infant interactions (2) Decrease negative parent-infant interactions (3) Improve infant development including language development (4) Reduce child protection concerns and (5) Improve adult well-being.

Values

Mellow Parenting believes that nurturing relationships are vital to healthy development and has this value running through the organisation from staff to practitioners to families.  Mellow Parenting promotes inclusivity making programmes accessible to every parent and child that would benefit from attending regardless of their race, religion, gender, age, sexuality, socioeconomic status or geo-graphical location.  

• Does promoting a positive nurturing relationship between parents and babies align with the key values of your service/organisation?
• Does promoting access and inclusivity for all regardless of the status align with your organisational values?

Priorities

The Mellow Babies Programme has been developed as an attachment and relationship-based group intervention programme for parents of babies 0-12 months to promote healthy parent-child relationships and to promote the best possible outcomes from generation to generation. 

Working with parents of infants aged 0-12 months in an intervention approach to help build parents confidence, develop parent and infant child interactions and relationships and equip parents with the necessary skills to positively parent:

• Is this a current priority for your organisation?
• Is helping parents understand their infant’s behaviour a priority for your organisation?

Existing Initiatives 

• Does your service already provide intervention programmes aiming to improve infant and parent relationships, infant development and parental mental health outcomes?
• Does your area have practitioners trained in delivering the Mellow Babies Programme?
• Do you have links with CAMHS, Adult Mental Health Services and Child Protection Services to refer onto if required?

Workforce

To deliver the Mellow Babies Programme requires 2 trained practitioners (training duration is 3 days) for 1 day per week for 14 weeks of the group. Additionally, practitioners will require additional time for preparation, phone calls and potentially home visits to obtain video recordings of parent-baby interactions.

• Do you have enough qualified practitioners available to commit to undertake training?
• Do you have enough qualified practitioners available to commit to delivering the full extent of this programme?

Technology Support

To implement the Mellow Babies Programme from a technology perspective requires a TV monitor and access to the internet.

• Do you have access to adequate technology to support practitioners to effectively deliver the technological components of the programme?

Administrative Support

Administrative support is required to recruit parents, receive referrals, collect evaluation data and feedback, print off materials along with co-ordinating and booking of venues, hospitality, transport, childcare and craft materials.

• Do you have enough administrative capacity and systems to meet these administrative needs?
• Do you have access to facilities to host the parent group?

Financial Support

Financial support is required for training costing £1,175.00 per practitioner and re-accreditation every 2 years costing £75.00 per practitioner. The provision of a venue, hospitality, transport and childcare to deliver the programme will also require financial support.

• Do you have the finances to pay for practitioners to attend the training and additional re-accreditation costs?
• Running the groups will also incur costs such as printing, venue, hospitality, transport and childcare costs. Are you able to fund the recurring group delivery costs?

Comparable Population 

The Mellow Babies Programme is aimed at mothers or fathers with multiple indicators of developmental risk with babies 0-12 months including teenage parents, parents with mental health problems, inter-personal violence, families with child protection and/or substance abuse issues or those experiencing poverty.  

Research undertaken in Scotland with depressed mothers found Mellow Babies to be effective in increasing positive interactions between mothers and their infant.

• Is this comparable to the population you serve?
• Does your organisation have existing contacts with mothers or fathers in this population?
• Are you likely to receive enough eligible referrals to populate a recurring programme of Mellow Babies?

Desired Outcome

The Mellow Babies Programme is an attachment and relationship-based group intervention programme that aims to deliver the following outcomes (1) To help mothers (and fathers) develop a secure attachment with emphasis on increasing positive parent-infant interactions (2) Decrease negative parent-infant interactions (3) Improve infant development including language development (4) Reduce child protection concerns and (5) Improve adult well-being.

Mellow Babies has been found to be effective in improving child behaviour, increasing positive mother-infant interactions and improving maternal mental health and confidence.

• Are improvements of infant development, infant and parent attachment, learning and mental health priority outcomes for your organisation?