The BeST? Services Trial:
effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the New Orleans Intervention Model for Infant Mental Health
BeST? is a randomised controlled trial comparing an infant mental health service (the New Orleans Intervention Model (NIM)) with Social Work Services -as-usual. It aims to find out what is the best service for young abused and neglected pre-school children coming into foster care.
In Glasgow, health and social work currently offer two new services for children who enter foster care. These are the Family Assessment and Contact Service (FACS) or the Glasgow Infant and Family Team (GIFT). In South London there are various Social Work Services for children coming in to foster care and these will be compared with the London Infant and Family Team (LIFT). The BeST? Services Research Trial team is trying to find out which service works best for children’s development. Therefore, we are inviting all families to take part if they have a child aged between 0 and 5 years when they enter an episode of foster care in Glasgow or South London.
About the Trial
Hearts & Minds - BeST? Outcomes for Children in Middle Childhood
We are currently undertaking a pilot with 7-10 year old children previously randomised to the Best Services Trial (BeST?). This study is exploring the feasibility of following up with these children, and taking a range of biological and psychological measures related to stress responsivity. This pilot work will inform a future larger study which aims to assess why some maltreated children develop mental (and physical) health problems and others do not.