About Us

Our Vision...
IAIM Australia is a registered Health Promotion Charity. Our vision is that, one day, all parents and children will enjoy the lifelong benefits that come from having early relationships that are loving, healthy and secure.

We share this vision with over 1000 members, Instructors, health workers, parents, subscribers and supporters in the Australian community; as well as with the tens of thousands of people and groups who are members of our sister organisations, in 51 other countries around the world.

Our Mission...
We work toward our vision by promoting and supporting nurturing touch and communication through training, education and research so that parents, children and families are loved, valued and respected throughout the world community.


Our Values...
Openess
We believe all parents and babies - regardless of lifestyle, parenting styles, or choices - deserve respect, tenderness, warmth and, above all else, a listening heart.

The Dignity of Parenthood
We believe all parents love their babies and want their babies to have the chance to grow up happy, healthy and in peace. We believe all babies deserve for their parents to be supported in this fundamental, human hope.

Honoring Our First Relationships
We understand that all babies are born with an innate desire to feel close to, connected with, and a special part of their own families. We also understand the extent to which they experience this has a long-term impact on the social, emotional and physical development of each human being.

Making a Difference When It Matters Most
We focus on making a difference today, rather than sitting back and waiting until problems become entrenched. We do this because we know so many social issues seen in our communities today, can be effectively, easily and cheaply prevented by supporting all parents and babies to experience early relationships that are loving, healthy and secure.

Univeral Access
We believe building relationships and connections between human beings should not depend on knowledge owned by experts, professionals, governments or organisations. We believe the knowledge, skills and actions needed to support healthy human relationships should belong to each person, family, neighbourhood and community.


Our Program...
Our values and beliefs are deeply embedded in the work that IAIM Australia does in the Australian community. Our program is called The First Touch Program which is an evidence-supported and universal approach to supporting, promoting, protecting and restoring the very special relationship between parents and their babies during the first year of life.

Through the support and training offered by IAIM and our people, parents are given many practical skills, ideas and knowledge for nurturing their baby's language, social, cognitive, emotional and physical well-being.

IAIM Australia also trains health professionals, early childhood workers, volunteers and every-day community members how to deliver this unique program. Our people work with, and alongside, families who are thriving, as well as those who are experiencing early difficulties. We aim to ensure all parents have the opportunity to give their baby the best possible start in life.

Research shows attending a First Touch Program with an IAIM Instructor, and learning the skills taught in our program, improves cognitive, social, behavioural, educational and mental health outcomes for many years into the future. Our simple and effective program costs less than half of the amount needed to pay for a baby's first vaccination.

The IAIM program is delivered in 52 countries all over the world, and has sucessfully be used in literally hundreds of different cultural, socioeconomic and geographic contexts.


How We Go About It...
IAIM Australia helps make change happen by offering training, information, research and program delivery. We do this in partnership with individuals, neighbourhoods, communities, governments, and human service organisations.

With good, local knowledge, the First Touch Program can be transfered to almost any situation - including statutory settings, place-based and long-term approaches to community building, emergency relief, disaster recovery, and social enterprises. We work in hospitals, neonatal intensive care units, community centres, parent's groups, churches, disability services, child care organisations, prisons, refugee services, mental health services, drug and alcohol centres, young parent programs, playgroups and private homes - and anywhere else where families are.

More Information About Us...
Click on the links below for more information about:

~ Our History
~ Our Ambassadors and our Board
~ Our Volunteers
~ Our Partners and Sponsors
~ Our Annual Reports