The Princess of Wales travelled to The Chase Community Hospital in Bordon on 11 November to see first-hand how a project she has backed through The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood is being expanded to help identify more babies and families in need of support.

The Princess of Wales has stepped out for a poignant solo outing to witness first-hand the impact of her charity work. The royal travelled to The Chase Community Hospital in Bordon, Hampshire on 11 November, where a project she has backed with The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood is being expanded to help identify more babies and families in need of support.

Catherine, together with her foundation, announced in July the next steps to support the UK-wide rollout of the Alarm Distress Baby Scale (ADBB), an innovative observational health visiting tool. During her engagement on Wednesday, the royal met with health visitors using the equipment, which helps identify early social and relational withdrawal in infants aged 0 to 24 months.

The Princess of Wales first observed the evidence-based tool in action during a visit to Denmark in 2022.

Catherine’s New Project

The Centre for Early Childhood, which Catherine founded in 2021, announced over the summer that it would fund the Institute of Health Visiting (iHV) to develop commissioning guidance and training resources.

“By equipping practitioners and families to understand what babies are communicating from the very start, we can give infants a stronger voice in early conversations, identify where extra support may be needed earlier, and help families build the responsive, nurturing relationships that we know are so important in shaping lifelong outcomes,” Christian Guy, Executive Director of The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, said in a statement.

“The more health visitors are trained in the use of this tool, the better equipped they will be to help, which is why we are so determined to do everything we can to support its rollout across the UK.”