More funding has been announced by the Scottish government to support parents during pregnancy and children in their early years, with families across Scotland set to benefit from a £1m investment in perinatal and infant mental health.

With up to 1 in 5 mothers experiencing mental health challenges, the new investment is to be spread across charities across Scotland that specialise in mental health and wellbeing support for pregnancy and early years’ needs.

Research has also shown that health inequalities hit halfway through pregnancy, with the authors of the Public Health Scotland (PHS)-supported study calling for more financial support earlier in pregnancies.

The government's Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Fund is administered by Inspiring Scotland. In all, 34 charities are set to receive a share of the £1m funding.

Mental Wellbeing Minister, Kevin Stewart announced the existing Fund will be extended for another year from April 2023 to March 2024 at the current level of funding with the £1m to be spread across the 12 months:

“We want all mothers and their families to have access to good mental health care throughout pregnancy and during the postnatal period. The third sector plays a key role in access to perinatal and mental health support, and with the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic and the cost crisis, their work is more important now than ever.”

He added that it is reassuring to see successful distribution of over £2.5m from October 2020 to March 2023 to charities via the fund, helping over 7,000 parents, expectant parents and infants via these organisations.

In 2022, a parliamentary committee criticised the lack of mental health care for new and expectant mothers, with many women left unsupported during the pandemic despite rising numbers of post-traumatic stress disorder following childbirth.

Concerns were raised as other research found worsening mental health linked to poor maternity care as virtual appointments replaced in-person, particularly among women from socially disadvantaged backgrounds.

Amongst the charities to be supported in the coming year is Action for Children’s service in the Western Isles, providing community-based parenting and peer support services for families affected by or at risk of perinatal mental health issues. The service particularly focuses on young parents, lone parents and other parents who have experienced trauma or lack of support networks.

Another charity helping parents in rural areas to receive more funding is Home-Start East Highland alongside Home-Start Caithness, which provide peer and parenting perinatal support to socially and geographically isolated families.

In its funding update, the government said these services are seen as ‘lifelines’ in their communities, which report a lack of provision and support for families.

Last year, PHS reported continued early children’s health inequalities with reports of developmental concerns for almost one in four children living in Scotland’s most deprived areas.

Home-Start services have also received funding across Dunfermline, Glasgow North and North Lanarkshire to help families with peer and parenting support services.

Last month, Maree Aldam, CEO of Amma Birth Companions – providing care, information and advocacy to those who face barriers to support during pregnancy, birth and early parenthood – told healthandcare.scot about the rising need for specialist ante-natal and pre-natal care.

Amma’s clients are mostly refugees, asylum seekers and people living in poverty, they supported 77 birthing parents from October 2021 to March 2022 and the Glasgow-based charity will now see its support from this fund extended.

Celia Tennant, Chief Executive at Inspiring Scotland which manages the fund said:

“We’re delighted the Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Fund has been extended for another year. This will enable us to work alongside our charity partners to continue offering their essential perinatal services that support families with babies.

“This support is needed now more than ever, and these organisations are a lifeline to parents and families, offering empathetic support with trusted relationships right at the heart of their services.”

Read more: Children's health not improving despite good policy; Large scale Scots health study calls for volunteers; Unique mother and child rehab house opens

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