Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Advisory Group: terms of reference
Advisory group terms of reference.
Title
Perinatal and Infant Mental Health (PIMH) Advisory Group.
Purpose
The PIMH Advisory Group, formerly the working group of the Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Programme Board (PB), was established to sustain and monitor the ongoing work of the PB, which came to an end in March 2023.
In advance of future structures being put in place, the PIMH Advisory Group will continue to support the Scottish Government (SG) Perinatal and Early Years Mental Health policy team to oversee reforms. These reforms will ensure women, infants and their families receive perinatal and infant mental health support when and where they need it, responsive to local needs and systems.
Remit
The PIMH Advisory Group will:
- comment on and support the development of a final report on the progress and successes of the PB
- facilitate the handover and transition from PB to new governance structures
- monitor and support ongoing PB workstreams, such as the Mother and Baby Unit In-Patient Capacity Options Appraisal and the Public Health Scotland evaluation
- engage with health boards to support local PIMH activity. Engage with relevant stakeholders to sustain and support ongoing development of PIMH statutory and third sector services, workforce, education, and lived experience
- ensure that the lived experience of women and families is the starting point of all discussions and work of the advisory group, and considered in the development of all activity. The advisory group will seek input from Parent and Infant Mental Health Scotland Participation Officers to engage with others with lived experience of perinatal and infant mental health
- report to the SG Perinatal and Early Years Mental Health policy team to support their reporting to the Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport
Governance
The PIMH Advisory group is ultimately accountable to the Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport.
Governance is as follows: PIMH Advisory Group - Scottish Government Perinatal and Early Years Mental Health Policy Team - Scottish Government Mental Health Directorate - Director General Health and Social Care.
Roles and responsibilities
The PIMH Advisory Group will be chaired by Dr Roch Cantwell and Dr Anne McFadyen, the former Vice Chair of the Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Programme Board and Chair of the Infant Mental Health Implementation and Advisory Group, respectively.
Membership is based on the previously named PB Working Group and will include representation from the Scottish Government (SG) Perinatal and Early Years Mental Health Policy Team, the Perinatal Mental Health Network Scotland (PMHNS), Parent and Infant Mental Health Scotland (PIMHS), NHS Education for Scotland (NES), Public Health Scotland (PHS), and Inspiring Scotland.
Members are appointed for the lifespan of the group or as long as they remain employed in their current post. Deputies will accepted in exceptional circumstances.
Members will:
- identify appropriate stakeholders within their area to engage with and will act as a conduit as required
- highlight to the SG policy team potential changes to timescales, actions and priority areas as a result of operational challenges
- actively participate in discussions at meetings
- access papers and prepare accordingly in advance of meetings
- provide feedback where required
- report back on activities completed
The PIMH Advisory Group will operate under the following assumptions:
- relationships between all parties are two-way and are built on a foundation of mutual respect
- all members come together in equal relationships to develop, support and scrutinise the PIMH workstream
- the PIMH Advisory Group will respect the sensitive nature of perinatal and infant mental health and will seek to promote a safe and supportive environment for those participating in its work. The PIMH Advisory Group will respect the privacy and confidentiality of any personal experiences and information shared by individuals. It will be sensitive in respect of the language used in its discussions and work
- the PIMH Advisory Group will operate by collaborative leadership and will support, challenge and facilitate activity to influence change, remove barriers and ensure progress towards the vision and outcomes, and work with energy, commitment, pace and impact
Membership
Members are appointed by the Chairs, who may appoint new members at their discretion. The Chairs can also require members to step down from the PIMH Advisory Group.
All members of the PIMH Advisory Group, and those asked to participate in work involving the PIMH Advisory Group, will be asked to declare any conflicts of interest. Any action to be taken on the basis of these declarations will be at the discretion of the Chairs. If it is either Chair who has a conflict of interest, another member of the PIMH Advisory Group will be asked to lead in determining the appropriate course of action.
Members are appointed individually and personally to the PIMH Advisory Group, and remuneration is not available. Those whose attendance is supported by their employer as part of their paid employment will not receive travel and subsistence costs. If a member is participating in a voluntary and unpaid capacity, then travel and subsistence can be paid at normal Scottish Government rates. This includes reimbursement of childcare costs in exceptional circumstances. Claims for travel and subsistence or childcare should be discussed and agreed with the PIMH Advisory Group secretariat in advance of expenditure.
A secretariat will be provided by Scottish Government, with advice and support from Mental Health Directorate colleagues.
Membership is as stated below:
- Roch Cantwell, Chair, PIMH Advisory Group, Scottish Government
- Anne McFadyen, Chair, PIMH Advisory Group, Scottish Government
- Leanne Anderson, Fund Manager, Inspiring Scotland
- Lizzy Archibald, Service Development Adviser, Scottish Government
- Marie Balment, Senior Educator (PIMH, Universal Workforce), NHS Education for Scotland
- Rach Barlee, Participation Officer, Parent and Infant Mental Health Scotland
- Joan Burns, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
- Helen Cheyne, Professor of Maternal and Child Health Research, University of Stirling
- Ruth Christie, Co-Head Children, Young People and Families Mental Health, Scottish Government
- Aman Durrani, Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist, Royal College of Psychiatrists
- Jane Ford, Principal Public Health Intelligence Adviser, Public Health Scotland
- Fiona Fraser, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
- Sarah Gargan, Programme Manager, Perinatal Mental Health Network Scotland, NHS National Services Scotland
- Selena Gleadow-Ware, Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist, Royal College of Psychiatrists
- SallyAnn Kelly, Chief Executive, Aberlour
- Lisa Malcolmson, Regional Nurse Consultant, NHS Grampian
- Kat Masterson, Participation Officer, Parent and Infant Mental Health Scotland
- Susan McConachie, Regional Nurse Consultant, NHS Lothian
- Helen Minnis, Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Glasgow
- Joy Nisbet, Head of Programme, Parenting and Infant Mental Health, NHS Education for Scotland
- Elaine Paterson, Public Health Intelligence Adviser, Public Health Scotland
- Marie Claire Shankland, Programme Director, NHS Education for Scotland
- Helen Sloan, Perinatal Mental Health Nurse Consultant, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
- Harriet Waugh, Head of Perinatal and Early Years Mental Health Team, Scottish Government
Decision making
The PIMH Advisory Group is an independent and time-limited advisory and collaborative leadership group. It has no executive functions. It will report, through the Chairs, to the Perinatal and Early Years Mental Health policy team and the SG Mental Health Directorate, on to the Scottish ministers.
The PIMH Advisory Group is not established on a statutory basis. It is therefore not subject to the formal public appointments process and the requirements of the Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies in Scotland.
Any actions agreed and made by the PIMH Advisory Group will be recorded in the meeting notes, these will be shared with group members following each meeting. In circumstances where the group are unable to come to a consensus, the Chairs have the authority as accountable persons to make the final decision. Any decisions that may have a significant change or impact on PIMH programme delivery will be escalated to the SG Mental Health Directorate.
The PIMH Advisory Group may make documentation and resources public on relevant media platforms where appropriate, and in accordance with the SG Perinatal and Early Years Mental Health policy team’s communication and engagement planning.
Frequency of meetings
The PIMH Advisory Group will meet once a month, via Microsoft Teams unless the group agrees to an in-person meeting. Should the need arise the group will meet on a more frequent basis.
Papers
An agenda, meeting notes, and relevant papers will be circulated one week in advance of each meeting, via email. Items agreed and actions to take place will be documented within the meeting notes, and ratified at subsequent meetings. Group members wishing to submit agenda items should do so 10 days in advance of the meeting.
Lifespan
The PIMH Advisory Group is expected to operate for at least six months from April 2023, or until governance structures are put in place for the perinatal and infant mental health programme of work in Scotland.
Terms of reference – date agreed: 28 June 2023
Dr Roch Cantwell, Chair
Dr Anne McFadyen, Chair
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