Dr Prue McEvoy, DCP’s first Lead Psychiatric Director, recently featured in The Advertiser discussing infant mental health, and the importance of supporting parents to build relationships with their babies.
Dr Prue McEvoy, DCP’s first Lead Psychiatric Director, was recently featured in The Advertiser (subscription required) discussing infant mental health, and the importance of supporting parents to build relationships with their babies.
The article comes ahead of this week’s infant mental health conference, and highlights the benefits of intervening early to change a child’s life trajectory.
Prue joined the department in February 2019, combining her experience as a senior child and adolescent psychiatrist with her passion for working with children in care. In her previous role as Clinical Director of the Child Adolescent Mental Health Service, Prue maintained a strong focus on the interface between child psychiatry and child protection, and has been an expert witness in child protection matters.
Prue is working to develop the department’s therapeutic care model and strengthen our approaches to working with vulnerable children and families. A key focus is developing the capacity of staff to support struggling parents early, preventing long-term engagement with the child protection system. This involves strengthening our learning and development initiatives and further embedding trauma-informed practice into our work.
When speaking to The Advertiser, Prue described the complexity of the circumstances facing new mothers and the far-reaching impacts of domestic violence on the relationship they can build with their baby. She further highlighted the importance of supporting parents to meet their baby’s physical and mental needs, which can have a substantial impact on their development and long-term outcomes.