The warm - line : A primary preventive service for parents of young children

We have described a telephone "Warm-line" for parents of children under the age of 5 year as an example of a primary prevention unit in a Division of Child and Family Psychiatry in a mental Health Center. We have also included an example of a mental health checklist for parents and asserted our belief that it is time that mental health profesional take responsibility for guiding parents of very young children. WE believe that such preventive services as the Warm-Line can play a significant role in avoiding the mental health emergencies that often occur when immdiate help is not available to deal With crises in child development and parent-child relationships (AU)