‘Listen, observe, feel, think’: an infant observation approach to supporting infant mental health in a township community in South Africa

The Ububele Home Visiting Programme, a community-based preventative infant mental health intervention implemented in South Africa, draws on infant observation as a central component of training, intervention and supervision. In training, Infant Observation provides an avenue for comprehensive, reflective ‘learning from experience’ for non-healthcare professionals. In intervention, an approach anchored by Infant Observation allows practitioners to support moments of parental reflection, encourage responsive caregiving and identify risk, for referral and case management. In supervision, Infant Observation allows for reflective practice, as well as for the interrogation of the contextual fit of imported knowledge systems in the South African context. Additionally, Infant Observation allows for this interrogation, and the refinement of the programme to ensure contextual applicability, through its application to ethnographic research.