The Black Maternal Mental Health Project is led by The Motherhood Group, in partnership with the Maternal Mental Health Alliance and Centre for Mental Health. Together, we are working to tackle the mental health inequities facing Black mothers and birthing people in the UK.
With generous support from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, this initiative examines how Black mothers experience current support systems, the barriers they face, and the cultural and systemic changes needed to ensure every Black mother and birthing person receives the compassionate, inclusive mental health care they deserve.
Through our partnership with the MMHA and Centre for Mental Health, we're uniquely positioned to transform our insights into systemic change, ensuring that Black mothers receive mental health support that truly acknowledges and addresses their lived experiences and healthcare inequalities.
Sandra Igwe, CEO, The Motherhood Group
Read more about Sandra IgweThe Black Maternal Mental Health Project is a collaborative effort to ensure Black mothers’ experiences directly inform policy and practice, so that services are safe, equitable, and culturally responsive through:
The Motherhood Group has conducted research to inform a landmark report examining:
The MMHA and Centre for Mental Health will work alongside The Motherhood Group to distil their research findings and translate them into a policy briefing that:
Together, The Motherhood Group, the MMHA and Centre for Mental Health are turning insight into action, shaping policy, amplifying community-led solutions, and ensuring that Black mothers’ voices are at the forefront of national conversations by:
This will include a parliamentary event that brings the right policymakers and decision-makers to the table to discuss the project and how we ensure changes are not short-term but are embedded in decisions about ongoing funding, training, service design, and data reporting.
Black women face a higher risk of developing mental health problems during and after pregnancy, yet they are less likely to receive the support they need. This partnership will challenge current debates and drive changes in legislation, policy and practice to ensure that all parts of the healthcare system can provide the compassionate, tailored care that Black mothers and their babies deserve.
Justin Irwin, former CEO, Maternal Mental Health Alliance
Because every mother or birthing person in the UK should:
For mothers: connect with other parents, join support programmes in your local area, and share your experiences.
For practitioners: book cultural competency training and apply insights from the report into your practice.
For organisations: partner with The Motherhood Group and the Alliance to support advocacy, share resources, and co-create solutions.
If you have any questions about this project, contact The Motherhood Group at info@themotherhoodgroup.com.
Visit themotherhoodgroup.org for more informationAs lead partner, The Motherhood Group brings deep expertise and lived experience to the project. Having supported over 18,000 Black mothers across the UK, The Motherhood Group has established itself as the leading organisation dedicated to community engagement, peer support, and advocacy. Its initiatives include:
Centre for Mental Health is a respected research charity taking the lead in challenging policies, systems and society, so that everyone can have better mental health. It does this by building research evidence to create fairer mental health policy. Poverty, injustice and discrimination put some people at a much higher risk of poor mental health – but less likely to receive the right support. By developing mental health research, economic analysis and policy ideas, Centre for Mental Health are equipping services and decision makers to meet people’s needs and reduce mental health inequalities. The work is driving forward sustainable policy change, to pursue equality, social justice and good mental health for all.
Learn moreThe Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA) is an award-winning charity and network of over 160 member organisations, parents, and clinicians dedicated to ensuring all families impacted by perinatal mental health problems have access to high-quality, compassionate care and support.
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Launched on Tuesday 23 September during the fifth annual Black Maternal Mental Health Week, founded and led by The Motherhood Group
"The Motherhood Group is leading a new research project with support from Centre for Mental Health and the Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA) to better understand and advocate for the mental health needs of Black mothers across the UK...."
In the UK, significant disparities exist in maternal health outcomes between Black women and birthing people compared to their white counterparts, particularly concerning mental health and access to care.
Our valued network of 'Lived Experience Champions' share their stories to help raise awareness, reduce stigma and influence positive system change.
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