The First 1000
Days in the
Nordic Countries

Supporting a Healthy Start in Life

Nordic Conference on Mental
Health and the Early Years

June 27th 2022 in Reykjavik, Iceland
Nordic Conference on Mental Health and the Early Years

Welcome

This inspiring conference on mental health and the early years is the final event of a three-year Nordic collaborative project, The First 1000 Days in the Nordic Countries, which was launched under the 2019 Icelandic Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers. The project centers on the first 1000 days of a child’s life, from the prenatal period until the age of two, and focuses on how the Nordic countries:

  • Promote mental health and well-being during pregnancy
  • Support positive parent-child relationships at the beginning of life
  • Identify and respond to early risk factors among parents, infants and toddlers
  • Support mental well-being among the youngest children in daycare and preschool

The conference will share knowledge and good practices acquired during this unique project and bring in internationally recognized speakers to present on the current state of knowledge for supporting children‘s healthy start in life. The focus will be on how we can move forward into the 21st century with awareness of the importance of the early years and how welfare states can apply existing knowledge on mental health and the early years to support social and economic sustainability.

The conference will be in hybrid form offering a chance to participate either in person or online. Both options will be free of charge to participants.

We look forward to welcoming you in Reykjavik during the magical time of summer solstice!

About

The Project

The First 1000 Days in the Nordic Countries is a three-year collaborative project that focuses on the mental well-being of infants, toddlers and their parents from pregnancy until two years of age. It is funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers and was launched by the Icelandic presidency in the Nordic Council in 2019.

The project is managed by the Directorate of Health in Iceland with partners from the Norwegian Directorate of Health and the Regional Centre for Child and Youth Mental Health East and South (RBUP Øst og Sør) in Norway, the Danish Health Authority (Sundhedsstyrelsen), the Public Health Agency of Sweden (Folkhälsomyndigheten), and the Itla Children’s Foundation and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) in Finland.

Welcome to the Nordic Conference on Mental Health and the Early Years

We look forward to seeing
you in Reykjavik on June 27th 2022

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Dr. Alain Gregoire

Dr. Alain Gregoire is a Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist who has led multiple award winning specialist perinatal mental health services in the United Kingdom for over 30 years. He has contributed extensively to the development of policy, strategy, guidance and clinical services in parental and infant mental health in the UK and across the world. 

Dr. Gregoire is the founder and current president of the UK Maternal Mental Health Alliance, a coalition of over 110 organisations in the United Kingdom committed to improving maternal mental health care and outcomes for mothers and infants. The coalition has successfully campaigned for government funding for perinatal mental health services across the UK and launched the 2013 cross-party manifesto, The 1001 Critical Days, which sets out a vision for the provision of services in the UK for the period between conception and age 2.

In 2016, Dr. Gregoire launched the Global Alliance for Maternal Mental Health with similar aims worldwide which now includes over 25 international member organisations.