On January 22, 2025, The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood announced the expansion of the Alarm Distress Baby Scale (ADBB) study following overwhelmingly positive early results. The Alarm Distress Baby Scale is a tool used by health visitors within routine checks to promote infant wellbeing. The study is being led by the Institute of Health Visiting (iHV) in partnership with Oxford University. For more information see the Institute of Health Visiting announcement.
This year, the study was extended to include eight additional sites, with Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) chosen as the lead NHS research site. Jeannie McKie, Research Governance Manager, Grounded Research team, RDaSH, said:
“RDaSH Health Visitors and the Grounded Research team are excited to be part of such a prestigious research study. As well as having the highest number of Health Visitors participating of the sites, we were also asked to be the lead NHS site for the trial. This is a testament to the excellent reputation that RDaSH has for research, and particularly the Children’s Care Group. Being the lead NHS organisation has several benefits. As the contact for the lead NHS site, I was invited to review the regulatory approval application and support the cost attribution process, providing the Institute of Health Visiting team with an NHS perspective. It has been a pleasure working with the Institute of Health Visiting team who are an extremely well regarded and experienced research organisation.”
The Alarm Distress Baby Scale is an observation aid, focusing on a baby’s social behaviours such as eye contact, facial expression, vocalisation, and activity levels to help practitioners and families better understand the ways babies express their feelings. Providing “support at this critical time, when babies’ brains are developing faster than at any other time in their lives, can have a life-long impact” (Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood).
RDaSH communities will benefit from their health visitors being trained in Alarm Distress Baby Scale and engaging in research.
Queen’s Nurse Sophie Uzelac Team Leader of the 0 to 19 (25 SEND) Health and Wellbeing Service in North Lincolnshire is a Local Coordinator of the Alarm Distress Baby Scale study. Sophie said:
“As soon as we saw the Institute of Health Visiting were recruiting for the 2nd phase of the Alarm Distress Baby Scale research study, we knew we wanted to get involved. It’s a great opportunity for our health visitors and local parents to contribute to research, as well as raising the profile of public health nurses in the field of research. We are proud to be the biggest site participating in the study with over 80 health visitors undertaking the Alarm Distress Baby Scale training across Doncaster and North Lincolnshire. Our staff have got on board with the project, and we are working hard to ensure we deliver what’s expected from our service.”
Sophie continued:
“We are incredibly proud of our three Parent Infant Emotional Wellbeing health visitors who have recently been very highly certified in the Alarm Distress Baby Scale scale. This is a huge achievement and demonstrates their commitment and hard work in engaging with the training.”
Sarah Gritton Team Leader, Perinatal Wellbeing and Safeguarding Health Visiting Teams, Doncaster 0 to 5 Years Service, at the Children’s Care Group, RDaSH is also a Local Coordinator of the Alarm Distress Baby Scale study. Sarah said:
“It is really exciting for the health visitors across the trust to be involved within this research study, staff have been enthusiastic about being involved as this enables them to contribute to the evidence base that improves the lives and outcomes of children and families.”
Alison Morton, Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of Health Visiting, said:
“Increasing health visitors’ knowledge and skills in interpreting baby behaviour is good news for babies, ensuring more families are supported during the crucial earliest years of life. Thanks to the continued support from The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, we are delighted to see the expansion of the ADBB tool in a wider range of health visiting services across the UK.”
Alison continued:
“Health visitors are also enjoying the opportunity to engage in research which will build the evidence base in this important area of their work with families. This exciting project would simply not have been possible without the support from RDaSH as the lead NHS research site, and all the health visitors involved in the study across all phase 2 sites, thank you for being on the journey with us and pushing for excellence for babies across the UK.”
Christian Guy, Executive Director of The Centre for Early Childhood, said:
“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.”
This piece was co-written by Queen’s Nurse Tracey Long, Children’s Care Group Nurse Consultant and National Institute for Health and Care Research Senior Research Leader in collaboration with others working on the Alarm Distress Baby Scale study. Tracey said:
“Our health visitors have growing experience of leading, participating in and delivering innovation and research, so it is exciting that they are now involved in the Alarm Distress Baby Scale phase 2. This is an important next step for profile raising in this typically under-served workforce and the babies, children, young people, and families with which they work. This is important for continued building of research capacity, capability and culture, including knowledge generation and knowledge exchange. It also, through engagement with Grounded Research and the Institute of Health Visiting will extend the scale of reach, which is important for the trusts’ promises, especially promise 28.”
Promise 28
Extend the scale and reach of our research work every year, creating partnerships with industry and universities that bring investment and employment to our local community.
The ADBB study has been funded by The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood.
Published: October 28, 2025