The Princess of Wales has visited the children's mental health charity Anna Freud to learn about a new project aimed at enhancing the skills of health visitors. The initiative, launched by Kate's Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood in partnership with Anna Freud, will create a training curriculum to support health visitors in promoting early social and emotional development in children.
Since 2016, the Princess has been patron of Anna Freud, a leading organisation for evidence-based research and training on the mental health of children, young people, and families. During her visit to the charity's central London offices on Thursday, she met with families who are helping to shape the new initiative alongside Anna Freud and the Institute of Health Visitors.
Last week, Kate delivered her first major public speech in two years, calling on business leaders to prioritise 'time and tenderness just as much as productivity and success'. Speaking at a summit hosted by her Royal Foundation in the City of London, she emphasised that 'profitability' and making a 'positive impact' are not incompatible.
In her opening address, the Princess described her passion for early years development as her 'life's work', rooted in the 'essential truth' that 'the love we feel in our earliest years fundamentally shapes who we become and how we thrive as adults'. She added: 'A loving home ultimately teaches us how to love and how to care, but every environment has the potential to shape our hearts.'
