The WMS online course ‘Babies in Mind: Why the Parent’s Mind Matters’ came to a close this week after running for four weeks via FutureLearn. Over 12,000 people signed up to take the course focussing on how parents’ minds shape their babies’ mental health development, which has been a huge success.

The free course was aimed at everyone with an interest in promoting the wellbeing of their own baby, or the parents and babies they work with. Over 83% of learners actively took part, using the course video content to complete individual steps.

The course has had great feedback from participants, with positive comments such as:

“This course is already so interesting and educational. It’s the kind of information that everyone should be encourages to learn before caring for young babies and children or of course, having their own.

“Thanks Warwick!”

And:

“Have thoroughly enjoyed studying this course, the content has been excellent, quality materials presented in a really accessible way. Brilliant use of interviews with ‘experts’ and plenty of tips about where to follow up with further reading if wanted.”

One participant even said:

“This course is amazing. It should be compulsory for [those] who want to be parents.”

Professor Jane Barlow, lead educator on the course, said “It is wonderful to see that so many people have enjoyed this course about the way in which the parent’s mind shapes the baby’s mind”.

The team behind ‘Babies in Mind: Why the Parent’s Mind Matters’ have also developed a longer online course ‘Infant Mental Health Online’ (IMHOL). This 16 week course is aimed at front line professionals and practitioners who work with babies/children and their families. The course is next due to run in March 2016.