The unit aims to establish and maintain a strong bond between mother and child, in line with evidence that a key psychological process of attachment takes place between babies and their primary caregiver in the initial months of life, which influences later development.
Kate travelled to HMP Styal in Cheshire to meet inmates from the women’s prison using the services provided by the unit run by Action for Children.
The Princess of Wales has visited a prison’s mother and baby unit run by a charity she supports as royal patron.
Prisoners live in a separate area of the institution and are supported to care for their babies by trained prison staff and early years and family support practitioners.
The event was Kate’s fifth public engagement in just over two weeks as she continues her gradual return to official duties since completing her cancer treatment.
