In this month’s practitioner newsletter, you’ll read about:  

• celebrating families and recognising their role in child mental health
• our latest podcast episode on infant mental health in paediatric care
• two free webinars to support your professional development
• why systems change is needed to support family mental health
• supporting children’s body positivity
• highlights of the latest in child mental health research. 

National Families Week: Celebrating every family, everywhere 

New podcast episode: Championing infant mental health capability in paediatric care 

Paediatricians are trusted entry points for families seeking mental health support. They are uniquely positioned to provide developmental assessment, early relational support, prevention and timely intervention – but this requires the right skills, structures and supports.  

In this episode, Dr Victoria Carter and Dr Anagha Jayakar explain how they are championing infant mental health through the delivery of a targeted workforce development program for junior paediatricians.  

Free webinars to support your professional development 

Emerging Minds is presenting two free webinars this month. Both sessions focus on an important area of practice with infants, children and families. 

Supporting neurodivergent families through separation and divorce

Wednesday 13 May, 1:00–2:00 pm (AEST) 


Co-presented with Child Family Community Australia (CFCA)

Lived experience expertise: Supporting the transition to parenting 

Monday 18 May, 7:15–8:30 pm (AEST) 


Co-presented with Mental Health Professionals' Network (MHPN)

When a parent experiences mental illness, the effects are often felt throughout the family and across generations. While there are interventions that can support families through these experiences, change is needed to implement them across health and social care systems. 

In her recent paper published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, Dr Melinda Goodyear, our Chief Advisor of Policy and Impact, collaborated with over 100 experts from 17 countries to reflect on what it takes to embed sustained, family-focused systems change. The message from this research was clear: no single lever is enough. 

Keen to learn more? 

• Read the paper in Frontiers in Psychiatry
• See Dr Melinda Goodyear’s LinkedIn post about her research
• Follow Emerging Minds on LinkedIn for future releases

Resources to support children’s body positivity 

Looking for evidence-based body image resources to support the young people in your care? Our friends at The Embrace Collective have created a free guide for practitioners that maps out their resources for families, educators and communities, helping you to easily share the right support with young people. Check out the Supporting positive body image in children and young people guide today!

Research highlights: March 2026 

The latest highlights in child mental health research include: 

• Do school programs that build resilience improve adolescents’ mental health?

• Do immersive virtual reality therapy tools help children and adolescents in mental health treatment?

• Practitioners’ views on what helps improve mental health for children and adolescents in out-of-home care

• How childhood domestic violence experiences relate to health service use in adulthood

• What evidence says about the association between smartphone use and eating disorder symptoms