16/05/2025
Please speak to your community midwife if you haven't already received one.
The ‘Hello in there wee one’ book, which supports expectant parents to communicate and bond with their baby, has been nominated for two national awards.
The project is a finalist in the Partnership of the Year category, and therefore also the People’s Choice Award, in the Scottish Charity Awards, as well as the Award for Creative and Innovative Practice at the Advancing Healthcare Awards.
Members of the public can vote for ‘Hello In There Wee One’ in the Scottish Charity Awards People’s Choice Award at https://scvo.scot/scottish-charity-awards/vote/2025/partnership-of-the-year/dundee-contemporary-arts-nhs-tayside-dundee-city-council-and-university-of-dundee-hello-in-there-wee-one.
Created in partnership between NHS Tayside’s infant mental health team, Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee City Council and University of Dundee, the book is given to all expecting families across Dundee, free of charge, at their 16-week midwifery appointment. It has already reached 600 families and has been translated into multiple languages, including Dundonian Scots.
‘Hello In There Wee One’ was designed with input from local families who worked with Dundee artist Louise Kirby to create colourful illustrations of local landmarks, including RRS Discovery, Broughty Castle and Dundee Law. The content of the book was also informed by the experience and advice of professionals across midwifery, health visiting, family nurse practitioners, infant mental health, speech and language therapists, and social work teams.
Nurse Director for Acute Services Lesley Sharkey said, “Research shows and clinical practice tells us that babies' emotional health and wellbeing begins before they are born. ‘Hello In There Wee One’ helps parents in Dundee find ways to bond with their babies before they arrive. This can help build strong bonds between babies and the important people in their lives right from the start, and supports infant development and mental health.”
The book is also available to view on the NHS Tayside website at https://www.nhstayside.scot.nhs.uk/OurServicesA-Z/MaternityServices/PROD_377680/index.htm?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBEwejVHVTI1QkQzY2thNDB1MwEe-FG66GyRz0rRBsNsy5GzdHu1vmD64R-AvckYhBZDlDFMi1K15jdwokrkyyw_aem_9bxvKn1C5mUd8Kox3LJRgg