This is a 13-week, online course which will be hosted via Zoom on Tuesday afternoons. Each afternoon will include two seminars and a reading group.

The course begins with a one-and-a-half-hour introduction and observation preparation meeting a few weeks before teaching starts to discuss how to arrange an infant for the observations.

The DBS confirmation and enrolment needs to be fully completed before the first session. The joining instructions can not be sent until these have been completed.

Coming Soon: Summer 2025 Cohort

Tuesday afternoons, 22 April to 15 July 2025 (with a pre-course meeting on 1 April). This is early notice of the summer cohort for colleagues who may need to arrange funding, DBS renewals and study leave.

January 2025 Cohort – closed for new applications

September 2024 Cohort – closed for application

This course will be delivered remotely using Zoom, and the session will not be recorded.

You will need a device with a microphone and camera together with a suitably fast internet connection. Although mobile devices and tablets can be used, we recommend the use of a laptop or desktop PC for the best experience. Some devices provided by employers may have restrictions in place. Please use this Zoom test link to check your set up before booking.

You will be sent the necessary login link about a week before the course start date. Should you have any concerns about the accessibility of remote delivery please contact us to discuss how we can best help you.

This course will focus on developing your observational skills and how you can utilise these in reflecting on parent-infant relationships and keeping the infant in mind. As part of the course, you will need to undertake an infant observation for one hour a week over eight to ten weeks. We will share how you can set up this observation during the introductory and initial seminars. The infant can be of any age up to one year and should be from a family not known to services. You will be required to visit the family in their own home once a week. During observation, you will not take notes, but write up notes afterwards which are discussed in the seminars.

During the infant observation seminars, you will develop your observational skills, particularly in relation to mother–infant relationships and reflect on the emotional impact of the observations on the observer.

You will also take part in work reflection seminars where you will take it in turns to bring a case that you are working with for reflection. As the course progresses, you will be encouraged to bring observations from your clinical work. Attention will be paid to the emotional impact on practitioners and the wider dynamics in the perinatal system.

As part of the course, you will be provided with literature, including texts on work in different settings. You will discuss this during seminars and reflect on it in relation to the observations and work discussions.

Participants must be working in a relevant UK based clinical role prior to starting the course.

Details of your workplace will be requested as part of the application. If offered a place you will be required to provide a copy of your workplace enhanced DBS to the course administration team before the course starts – for the purposes of the observation component of this programme. In line with safeguarding best practice this must be dated within 3 years of the course start date (or the January 2025 cohort this will be dated on or after 6/1/22), will be treated in strict confidence and the copy securely disposed of once the details have been noted. This is a requirement of all our courses which involve observation. If a DBS is older than 3 years participants will be required to renew it to be able to undertake the course. Please contact us to discuss your options if this is likely to cause you any issues.

Following the pre-course introductory meeting, you will need to find an observation family to observe for the duration of the course – this is an essential requirement of the course. Delegates are expected to attend all the sessions and ensure a continuity of observation.

If you have a child under two years old or are expecting a baby, we advise against undertaking infant observation. This is because the observer task is complex and demanding; being a parent of a child under two generates further complexity and potential difficulty in managing the observer role

Included in your course fee, you will receive online membership to the Tavistock’s internationally renowned library for the duration of your course. Our friendly and knowledgeable library team will help to support you through your specialist CPD course, whatever your level of professional or academic experience. You will have access to an extensive online range of eBooks, journals, all the relevant key databases and our specialist audio-visual collection.

You may be interested in arranging a bespoke course for your team or organisation – please contact us at CPDEvents@tavi-port.ac.uk to discuss your requirements with us.