The SAFE START Guidelines: Improving Mental Health Outcomes for Parents and Infants, outlines the rationale for psychosocial assessment, risk prevention and early intervention. It proposes a spectrum of coordinated clinical responses to the various configurations of risk factors and mental health issues identified through psychosocial assessment in the perinatal period. It also examines the broader specialist role of Mental Health Services in addressing the needs of parents with, or at risk of, developing mental health problems.