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The increasing status and regard of indigenous minority languages across Europe, means the advantages of bilingualism for individuals and communities are now well established. We set out to elicit parents' and health professionals' views of the role of health visitors and midwives in promoting bilingualism in the family and to consider whether health professionals acknowledge the contribution that bilingualism makes to public health. A three-year study was completed to measure the impact of a language transmission initiative which depends on the input of midwives and health visitors with new parents and how its effect could be improved. This paper reports on one element of that study. A qualitative approach was used. Six focus group interviews were conducted with health visitors and midwives and 33 postnatal interviews were completed with parents across four counties in Wales. Thematic content analysis was undertaken by two researchers, a third trailed decision processes and scrutinised categories and themes. Findings suggest that health visitors and midwives perceive their roles relating to the promotion of bilingualism differently. Influences on their involvement include their language profile, contact with parents, personal experience, timing of the interaction and time in their workload. The relationship between promoting bilingualism and public health was accepted by some and denied by others. Data from the interviews with parents suggested that few health professionals discuss issues of language transmission with new parents. Some individual health visitors and midwives are willing to promote bilingualism with parents. However, there are challenges in enlisting the support of health visitors and midwives to discuss language transmission and bilingualism with parents. These findings challenge practitioners to consider their role in promoting bilingualism and its effect on public health and suggest the need for more defined responsibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible summary • As people frequently encounter others in mental distress, there is a need for appropriate knowledge and skills to provide support. Mental Health First Aid, a 12-h mental health promotion programme was developed to address this. • There has been little research into basic mental health training programmes generally, in terms of their usefulness. The views of instructors delivering these programmes are also important, as this may provide information about the most effective way of delivering mental health training programmes to a wide audience. • In this study, instructors delivering the Mental Health First Aid programme in Wales were asked to give their views and experiences of delivering the programme. • These instructors said it was important they had the necessary skills and support to enable them to deliver the programme effectively. Mental health literacy among the public is often poor, and although people frequently encounter others experiencing mental distress in their workplace, families and communities, they may be ill-equipped to provide appropriate support. ‘Mental Health First Aid’ (MHFA), a 12-h mental health promotion programme seeks to address this, training people in the knowledge and skills needed to engage with someone experiencing mental health problems. Research relating to the MHFA programme has centred on course attendees, with a paucity of research surrounding the delivery of basic mental health training programmes. Understanding experiences of instructors delivering such programmes is key to the success of future delivery. This study sought to identify the views and experiences of instructors delivering the MHFA programme in Wales. Fourteen MHFA instructors participated in semi-structured audio-recorded interviews, with the transcripts analysed to identify key themes. This paper explores two of the identified themes namely prerequisite skills and support required by instructors. The study highlighted that because of the ensuing emotional labour experienced by instructors, universal mental health training programmes must put in place a clear infrastructure to train, support and monitor those delivering them, for programme roll-out to be effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]