title: A psychotherapeutic baby clinic in a hostel for homeless families: practice and evaluation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A pilot baby clinic in a hostel for homeless families has been established to address the specific attachment and developmental needs of infants living in temporary accommodation. The aim of this study was to assess whether this clinic model was associated with more positive outcomes than mainstream community services in terms of infant development and parent-infant interactions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Parent-infant psychotherapy and health visiting services collaborated to develop a new model of baby clinic, which reconfigured the traditional clinic to give priority to infants' affective experiences in a therapeutic group setting. Outcomes for parent-infant dyads in a homeless hostel where this service model was applied were compared with outcomes for parents and infants in hostels, which did not have such a service.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-nine mother-baby dyads participated in evaluation, 30 in the intervention hostel group and 29 living in comparison hostels. Infant mental and motor development was assessed using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development. Interactions between the parents and infants were video-recorded and coded on the Coding Interactive Behaviour Scales.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The indices of mental and motor development of infants in the intervention hostel were significantly improved over time in relation to infants in the comparison hostels. No significant differences were found in the quality of parent-infant interaction between the two groups over time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings indicate that the service model may have positive benefits for infant development. The findings, study limitations, and clinical implications are discussed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Parents and infants living in temporary accommodation represent a high-risk and hard-to-reach population. A new model of intervention, which combines universal infant health services with a therapeutic parent-infant group may be an effective means of supporting the emotional needs of hard-to-reach parents and infants.
authors: The Anna Freud Centre, London, UK            University College London, London, UK.
authors: Michelle
authors: M
authors: Sleed
authors: Jessica
authors: J
authors: James
authors: Tessa
authors: T
authors: Baradon
authors: Julia
authors: J
authors: Newbery
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Fonagy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D002657:Child Development; D002662:Child Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003152:Community Health Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration; D005260:Female; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018730:Infant Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D008131:London; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009769:Object Attachment; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011247:Pregnancy; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group / Q000379:methods*; D012931:Social Environment; D035862:Vulnerable Populations / Q000523:psychology