Compassion in infant and family mental health and wellbeing

The Francis report (2013 ) recognised the significance of compassion in healthcare and the negative impact for patients and professionals when compassion was compromised, including the quality of patient care and emotional distress. In addition, compassion has been identified as one of the six core values (6 C’s) for all health and social care staff (NHS England, 2015). More recently the NHS Constitution (2023 ) has reiterated the importance of compassion and stressed it should be central to care that is provided. This chapter will explore the critical role of compassion in infancy and the overall mental health of families. It will discuss how nurturing compassion from infancy can lead to healthier, more resilient individuals and stronger family units. Emphasising the importance and benefits of compassion for both parents and the practitioners working with them, it will consider the underpinning theory and practical suggestions to support self-compassion and foster resilience. To reduce the risk of burnout and improve the overall wellbeing of practitioners, this chapter will also examine self-compassion and self-care for professionals, identifying the enablers for compassion satisfaction and the inhibitors of compassion fatigue (Ondrejková and Halamová, 2021).