Kate Middleton 'thrilled' as Palace issues update on major work boost

The Centre for Early Childhood, which has been set up by the Princess of Wales, has revealed a major update in its work today, which has left Kate delighted

The Princess of Wales is thrilled after receiving a major boost for part of her 'life's work' that is set to be her key focus as she returns to duties.

It has been revealed today by the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, set up by Kate, that thousands more families are set to benefit from a project that promotes babies' wellbeing after it has been expanded to eight more areas.

The project will see the expansion of a tool, called the 'Alarm Distress Baby Scale' (ADBB) be used by health visitors within routine checks at eight NHS trusts across the UK. It focuses on a baby's social behaviours such as eye contact, facial expression and activity levels to help health visitors and families better understand the ways babies express their feelings.

The news comes just a week after Kate revealed her relief that she is now in remission from cancer after carrying out her first solo public engagement since her cancer diagnosis almost one year ago by meeting patients at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London. A senior palace source said that as the princess continues on her gradual return to public-facing engagements, early childhood and social and emotional development will continue to be a key focus of her work.

And even though the princess had taken time out of the spotlight in recent months to focus on her chemotherapy treatment and recovery, royal sources added that she has constantly been kept up to date on the world of the Centre for Early Childhood and is "really thrilled" to see that the initial trial in South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust and Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust has been a success and that it is now being extended to more locations across the England, Scotland and Wales.

They added: "The work of the Centre for Early Childhood continues to shine a light on just how important the first five years of life are for any baby and the role we can all play. The princess is delighted to see the expansion of the ADBB trial and looks forward to following it closely."

Kate personally suggested that the tool could be used in Britain after seeing a similar system during a royal visit to Denmark. It can be used to recognise early signs of psychological distress, enabling specialist support to be accessed as soon as it is needed.

The Centre for Early Childhood then worked with the Institute of Health Visiting and Oxford University to test it in the UK. The centre funded the trial's first phase last year, which reported "overwhelmingly" positive results after it conducted research into using the tool when health visitors carry out routine checks on babies at six to eight weeks.

Christian Guy, Executive Director of The Centre for Early Childhood, said: "We know that warm, loving, responsive interactions with those closest to them during the earliest weeks and months of a baby's life are crucial in promoting positive brain development.

"Health visitors do such a vital job in our communities. I am delighted that we are now able to give more teams across the UK the support they need to help thousands of families to better understand their babies and build nurturing relationships, laying the strongest possible foundations for all that is to come in the years that follow."

While Alison Morton, Chief Executive of the Institute of Health Visiting said: "We are delighted to have the continued support from the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood to deliver the second phase of this exciting programme of work. As we know, babies can’t talk, but there is significant evidence that their early experiences influence their future outcomes.

"The expansion of the use of the modified ADBB tool in a wider range of health visiting services will allow us to consider its future implementation and sustainability, and ensure more families get the right support and babies can thrive."