Category: Worldwide

  • New sponsor partnership SSAFA The Armed Forces Charity

    New sponsor partnership SSAFA The Armed Forces Charity

    SSAFA the Armed Forces charity confirms new licence to fund Togetherness.co.uk for British Forces families and children living overseas.

    The NHS team behind Togetherness, trusted provider of online learning focused on children’s emotional health and wellbeing is delighted to partner with SSAFA to increase access and emotional health support to the Armed Forces overseas community.  

    Through this collaboration, SSAFA Community Health has funded a multi-user license, enabling all of its overseas families to access a comprehensive range of online learning and resources on Togetherness.co.uk. This makes the online learning pathways freely available as part of their extensive community health services for military families.  

    Designed to support parents at every stage of their journey, from pregnancy to adolescence, these courses empower parents to better understand their child’s brain development, decode their behaviours, and develop nurturing relationships, all aimed at fostering kindness, confidence, and emotional awareness in children who thrive throughout their lives.  

    SSAFA Community Health recognises the importance of nurturing emotionally resilient and socially aware children within its community and supporting parents in the British Forces living overseas. The licence complements the highly regarded community health services delivered by the charity around the world.  

    Key highlights of the Togetherness online learning pathways include: 

    • Understanding your child’s emotional health and brain development: Parents gain insights into the science behind their child’s brain development, helping them make informed decisions that support healthy cognitive growth.
    • Reading your child’s behaviours: These courses will provide parents with tools to interpret and respond effectively to their child’s behaviours, fostering positive interactions and reducing stress for both parents and children.
    • Developing communication: Parents will learn strategies for open and effective communication that will strengthen the parent-child bond and promote emotional wellbeing.

    Jane Bojdys, Named Safeguarding Professional Lead Public Health Nurse, expressed enthusiasm for this partnership, saying,

    “Investing in our parents and children’s emotional health is an investment in the future of our community. We believe that by providing free access to Togetherness online learning pathways, we are empowering our parents with the tools they need to support their children’s well-being and growth.”

    To access the courses, SSAFA families can visit togetherness.co.uk/learn and follow the simple registration process inputting the access code MILITARY. Online courses are designed to be accessed anytime, anywhere and are completely private and personal to you.   

    For more information about the offer for families as part of community health services please visit the SSAFA website. 

    Togetherness Team

  • Togetherness online learning for parents launches on WeChat

    Togetherness has launched two online learning pathways for parents on the Chinese social media app, WeChat. Thanks to our partnership with Yingshu Zhang, Psychotherapist and Psychoanalysis Practitioner, this new online channel is an important step forward in expanding the Togetherness learning platform and sharing evidence-based practices internationally, reaching Chinese speaking practitioners, parents and families across the globe. 

    WeChat, China’s leading social media platform, serves as an ideal channel for disseminating Togetherness’ renowned online learning resources offering parenting support. Through the interactive app, users can access resources in Chinese focused on enhancing relationships and promoting emotional wellbeing for families. With the ability to share, like and comment on content, WeChat offers the opportunity to start important conversations around wellbeing from the app. 

    Two of the online learning pathways for parents are available to follow within the platform in Chinese: 

    • Understanding your baby
    • Understanding your child: from toddler to teenager

    The pathways have been developed by Clinical Psychologists, Midwives and Health Professionals to help families learn about the foundations of wellbeing and mental health and how to foster connected relationships. The pathways support parents throughout their child’s life – from birth all the way through to the teenage years. Understanding your baby equips new parents with an understanding of baby’s natural rhythms, healthy sleep and feeding practices. Continuing the learning journey, Understanding your child: from toddler to teenager, helps parents to nurture children to be kind, resilient and confident, while building relationships allowing them to thrive throughout their lives. 

    Both pathways have been made freely available for WeChat users thanks to the partnership with Yingshu Zhang, Psychotherapist and Psychoanalysis Practitioner with her own private practice based in Shanghai. Yingshu Zhang is passionate and motivated to expand the impact of the Solihull Approach in China and for Chinese families around the world since 2019.

    “When parents feel confused, challenged, worried, or anxious in the process of raising their children, the Solihull Approach can serve as a handy and accessible guide. It not only offers scientific insights into children’s physical and psychological development but also supports you in creating a daily environment of interaction that is both free and structured — allowing your child to grow with confidence and emotional security.”

    Yingshu Zhang

    This exciting digital expansion ensures accessible support for families across China and Chinese speakers worldwide, advancing the Solihull Approach’s global mission of improving emotional wellbeing for children, families and communities. 

    If you would like to connect on WeChat, follow Solihull Approach or add “shuyuxinli”. 

    Togetherness Team

  • Health Visitors’ skills significantly enhanced after completing Solihull Approach training, Swedish study reveals

    Togetherness is pleased to announce the findings of a new Swedish study demonstrating the impact of the Solihull Approach model in infant and toddler care, revealing how the approach significantly reshaped nurses’ attitudes, values, and working methods. Published in the Open Journal of Nursing*, the study, Specialist Nurses’ Experiences of Working with Parental Support in Each and Every Encounter, identified nurses’ increased awareness of the emotional needs of families. 

    Published March 21, 2025, the study explored the transformative experiences of specialist nurses (comparable to a Health Visitor in the UK) utilising the evidence-based Solihull Approach training for professionals in Child Healthcare in Sweden. The interview study gathered insights from 14 specialist nurses who had completed training in the Solihull Approach. By focusing on the dynamics of parent-child relationships nurses developed greater awareness of the emotional needs of families, enabling a more personalised and relationship-oriented approach to care. 

    This research comes at a time when modern lifestyle changes have increasingly emphasised the importance of children’s mental health and the growing demand for parenting support. Key results showed that the Solihull Approach empowered nurses to facilitate meaningful dialogue and offer individualised support to parents, strengthening the parent-child bond. This enhancement in skills represents a shift toward fostering parental understanding and nurturing relationships that positively impact children’s wellbeing.

    “The study holds significant relevance for clinical practice. It highlights how specialist nurses, through research-informed training, can observe and influence the interactions between parents and children, ensuring targeted and effective parental support.“

    Mona Bryggman and Elisabeth Berger

    This research not only underscores the growing need for such initiatives, but also serves as a call for healthcare systems to invest in high quality practices.

    *Original paper: Bryggman, M., Berger, E., Bäck-Pettersson, S. and Olsson-Tall, M. (2025). Specialist Nurses’ Experiences of Working with Parental Support in Each and Every Encounter, According to an Evidence Based Model in Child Healthcare. Open Journal of Nursing, 15, 198-210. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojn.2025.153015 

    Read the paper

    Togetherness Team

  • Togetherness expands to India with new Licensed Centre in Mumbai

    Togetherness has confirmed a new licensed centre in India, marking a significant milestone in expanding its evidence-based training. Thanks to a new partnership with Stepping Stones Paediatric Therapy Services, led by Mahek Uttamchandani, Consultant Occupational Therapist, practitioners across India can now access the renowned Togetherness 2 Day Foundation training. 

    The establishment of this licensed centre in Mumbai enables professionals to gain further knowledge and skills in supporting emotional health and wellbeing. The training, which focuses on relationships and fostering connected, sensitive, and responsive interactions, equips practitioners with an effective framework to support families and improve emotional wellbeing for children and their caregivers. 

    In addition to practitioner training, Mahek Uttamchandani will also be delivering parent groups at Stepping Stones. These sessions will focus on understanding child development, interpreting behaviour, and enhancing emotional health and wellbeing for both parents and children. 

    Mahek Uttamchandani brings a wealth of expertise to this initiative. A highly qualified Consultant Occupational Therapist, she is the Director of Therapy Services at Stepping Stones Paediatric Therapy Services in Mumbai. She holds a gold medal from Maharashtra University of Health Sciences and has pursued extensive postgraduate training in paediatric occupational therapy, specialising in the treatment of children with neurological and developmental conditions. Mahek is also trained in infant development, neurobehavioral assessment, and therapeutic interventions, making her a key advocate for early intervention and responsive relationships in child development. 

    Mahek Uttamchandani, Consultant Occupational Therapist and Director of Therapy Services at Stepping Stones Paediatric Therapy Services, Mumbai, said:

    “Bringing Togetherness to India is a significant step forward in supporting families and professionals with evidence-based strategies to enhance emotional wellbeing. At Stepping Stones, we are committed to fostering responsive relationships that empower children and their caregivers to thrive. We’re excited to develop practice and knowledge across the country in partnership with Togetherness.”

    Dr Hazel Douglas MBE, Clinical Psychologist and Child Psychotherapist, Togetherness Founder said:

    “We are delighted to welcome Stepping Stones as our first licensed centre in India. This partnership will help practitioners and families across the country benefit from strengthening early intervention and promoting mental health and wellbeing through relationship-based practice.”

    For more information on training opportunities and parent support groups, visit Stepping Stones Paediatric Therapy Services in Mumbai.

    Togetherness Team