“We go to where young parents are and try and communicate in a way which works for them. We keep trying, even if we don’t hear back the first few times... Home visits are an important part of our approach. We often tackle immediate practicalities such as form filling and storage issues to help with wellbeing and create space for conversations.” Donna Francis, Acacia Family Support

“Thank you again for today, I really enjoy the groups, I feel I can speak freely without judgement of things I’ve held in for years and struggled to cope with.” Young mum via WhatsApp

Home-Start Croydon hosts a parent and baby group called ‘Chill n Play’ through a partnership with Babyzone at the Legacy Youth Zone. Volunteers are parents themselves who have a good understanding of the challenges families may face. They recognise the importance of small gestures and the impact that these have on parents attending the group. They are good listeners and create a welcoming environment in which parents feel safe to share their experiences with other parents and have a voice. There are quite a few mums that do not have families around to support them through this new stage in their lives, leading to them feeling lonely and isolated. The volunteers themselves are very aware of the impact this situation has on families and they ensure to engage with every parent linking them up to a variety of family services that could benefit them.

“Everyone is welcome to ‘Chill n Play’ peer group for parents with their babies and toddlers. The group is led by volunteers that reflect the diversity of the community and who facilitate the building of trust through the understanding of the needs that parents may have. Their smallest gestures of kindness, their warmth, their listening abilities and the providing of information aim to give parents confidence in carrying out their parenting role.” Jacqui, Parent Champion Volunteer (Home-Start Croydon)

The Maternal Mental Health Alliance visited Babyzone Croydon to talk with staff and parents using the space. In their efforts to break barriers: 

• Babyzone has removed traditional barriers to accessing early years support such as cost, timetables and personal data collection.
• They collaborate with local organisations to give families the support they need in one place.
• Babyzone invites families personally to visit them. They work with local communities to raise awareness of their activities with families.
• They were supported by OnSide and continue to work with local Youth Zone teams to support some of the most disadvantaged communities in the UK.

MEA is an organisation in Birmingham that connects Black perinatal women to each other, to perinatal services, to platforms that raise their voices, to safe spaces, to systems changes and to opportunities.

“We engage with and empower Black African, Caribbean and Mixed Heritage women and their families about their perinatal journey, from conception through to two years postnatal... We deliver workshops, programmes, training, and community research from living and lived experience, keeping service providers informed about the Black maternal experience at a grassroots level. Here at MEA, we work closely with the Local Maternity Systems in Birmingham to support their commitment to engage with Black maternal women for better and safer maternity service provision.”

MEA Maternity Ambassadors for Change (MACs)

Through lived and living experience, the MACs are in a unique position to gather data on the Black perinatal experience. They use surveys, lead small focus groups and co-ordinate perinatal community conversations focusing on the Black experience of pre-conception, pregnancy, birth, and early parenting including mental health and wellbeing.

The information that they gather is a starting point to identify the issues that are being faced by Black perinatal families. The role of MEA with the help of MACs is to encourage systems change in Birmingham and the wider regional West Midlands for better maternity services.

Thanks to the work of MARG (Maternity Autism Research Group), there is research around birth experiences of autistic mothers, meaning there is more understanding around the impact of this ‘hidden’ experience:

• Increased prevalence of severe sickness during pregnancy
• Delivery complications
• High chance of tearing
• Heightened sensory experience
• Heightened fixation on breast feeding despite intense pain and discomfort.

Some NHS Trusts are developing Neurodiversity/Autism care pathways in their Maternity Services.

“Founded within the NW London Jewish community we understand that cultural factors can significantly influence the perception, expression, and treatment of perinatal mental health issues. Therefore, we have made it a priority to ensure that our services and programs are tailored to address the specific needs and cultural nuances of the communities we serve.

"At Menucha, we actively work to bridge the gap between cultural diversity and mental health support, ensuring that all services are accessible, relevant, and sensitive. We are committed to promoting cultural understanding for statutory services and breaking down barriers to ensure our clients receive the care they need.”

Rivki Dwek, CEO of Menucha

• The Black Maternity Experiences report (Five X More)
• Invisible – Maternity Experiences of Muslim Women (Muslim Women’s Network UK)
• Working with pregnant asylum seeking women: A guide for health professionals (Refugee Women Connect) 
• MBRRACE’s Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths
• Systemic Racism, not Broken Bodies (Birthrights)
• The maternal mental health experiences of young mums (Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition and Maternal Mental Health Alliance)
• Young Mums Connect | Mental Health Foundation
• Single Parents Projects | Mental Health Foundation
• Baby Buddy app by Best Beginnings
• Maternity Stream of Sanctuary: Resource pack (City of Sanctuary UK)
• The Motherhood Group training
• Caring for vulnerable migrant women (Royal College of Midwives)
• Perinatal Mental Health and Domestic Abuse briefing (Maternal Mental Health Alliance)
• Transport and maternal mental health (Mental Health Foundation/Motability)
• Supporting High-Quality Perinatal Mental Health Care (Institute of Health Visiting and Maternal Mental Health Alliance)
• Hearts and Minds Partnership
• Trans + non-binary experiences of maternity services
• Maternity Consortium
• Tommy’s
• About Us - Raham Project
• Connection Lost (kingsfund.org.uk)
• A perfect storm: pregnancy, new motherhood and the cost of living crisis - Maternity Action
• Maternity Autism Research Group
• Mental Health Foundation - Young mums together pilot report