​Last week, Rajinder and I were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to present the work of Healthy Start Happy Start at the North East London Foundation Trust’s 16th Annual R&D Open Day. The day drew together leading healthcare researchers and professionals who presented on the latest developments in research within the trust. 

It was such a treat to hear about research areas outside of our own, with topics including an intervention aimed at supporting people with personality disorder to obtain and retain employment (EMPOWER; Dr Janet Feigenbaum), and cognitive remediation therapy for people experiencing non-affective psychosis (ECLIPSE; Prof. Eileen Joyce), as well as a couple of interesting talks on the development of effective home support and care-quality measures for people with dementia (Dr Paul Clarkson and Clarissa Giebel).

​Professor Pasco Fearon also gave an overview of his upcoming feasibility study which looks to implement a modified version of Video-feedback Intervention to promote Positive Parenting (VIPP) for children with reactive attachment disorder and their foster carers. Given that we too are using VIPP on the Healthy Start Happy Start trial, it was great to be reminded of the versatility of the VIPP-programme and how it can be adapted to fit different populations. I’m so looking forward to following the progress of the study as it gets underway!

​Rajinder and I were then up to talk about the progress of the Healthy Start Happy Start study. Presenting to the dedicated healthcare professionals working within North East London Foundation Trust felt particularly relevant given that some of the NELFT Healthy Start Happy Start recruitment and VIPP-programme team were part of the audience. It was a pleasure to outline just how far the study has progressed, which would not have been possible without their support and skill. 

We ended the day attending a couple of workshops – one on conducting and implementing research in clinical settings and another on adapting interventions for culture and context; both felt very applicable to the work we are doing! For me, the workshops were a highlight as it really allowed the vast expanse of varied experience that the conference attendees brought to be heard and learnt from.
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The day drew to a close with Prof. Peter Fonagy really emphasising the unique and fundamental place of research and development departments within NHS trusts. Overall, it was a pleasure to have the opportunity to present within a fantastic line-up of speakers, and to learn from the range of roles brought together by the day.  

Author: Beth Barker

​This weekend, the pPOD research team was fortunate enough to once again exhibit a research stand at the annual Imperial Festival. With Harlow’s monkeys dusted off, an excessive number of sweets purchased, and notes on attachment theory printed, the team was ready for ImpFest2017! 

We started off in the very earliest years of attachment theory, guiding attendees through the Harlow days of thinking a child’s primary drive for attachment with their caregivers was food, and then moved the public on to thinking about how they themselves might have used their own senses to form attachments with their loved ones (with the help of our trusty featureless baby face, of course!). What makes the event so unique is that one minute you can be explaining attachment theory to an alumni Astrophysicist and the next explaining that very same research to a four year old! 

Our very own Prof. Paul Ramchandani also gave a great talk on how our early interactions with our parents/caregivers can shape our future. In it he discussed parental sensitivity, the impact this can have on children’s developmental outcomes, and what can be done to best support parents in those first few years. Judging by the somewhat unmanageable influx of people to our stall immediately following the talk, I think it’s safe to say the public found what Paul conveyed very interesting! 

​With a record breaking 18,000 attendees, the highlight for me was asking every child who came to the stall what the coolest thing they’d done at the festival was. As much as a small part of me was hoping they’d all say ‘reconstructing a giant baby’s face to learn about attachment theory’, it was such a delight to hear the range and enthusiasm in their answers. From laser balloon popping, to fire tornadoes, and building marshmallow atoms, the creativity and diversity of the ground-breaking research on offer was just phenomenal. I only wish I’d had more time to browse the other stalls myself!     

​The pPOD research team has come away brimming with enthusiasm and ideas for the stall we can put on for ImpFest2018!

Author: Beth Barker