Black Maternal Mental Health Project

A new partnership to drive meaningful, long-term change for Black mothers and birthing people

With generous support from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, the Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA) is working in partnership with The Motherhood Group and Centre for Mental Health to tackle the mental health inequities facing Black mothers and birthing people in the UK.

The goal is to examine current rhetoric and create meaningful change in legislation, policy and practice to ensure Black mothers and their families receive the respectful and inclusive mental health support 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

About the Black Maternal Mental Health Project

The Motherhood Group is leading the project, supported by Centre for Mental Health and the MMHA, which will be delivered in three key stages:

1. Research

The Motherhood Group is conducting research to inform a landmark report that will examine:

How Black mothers experience current support systems, what works, and what doesn’t
Barriers to accessing perinatal mental health services
Cultural factors that shape mental health during and after pregnancy
Levels of cultural awareness/responsiveness among healthcare practitioners
The difference community-led solutions can make.

2. Policy development

Centre for Mental Health will distil the findings and translate them into a policy briefing that:

Sets out clear, evidence-based recommendations for improving perinatal mental health care for Black mothers and birthing people
Identifies the systemic and structural changes needed across NHS services, commissioning, and workforce development to address inequities
Provides practical, actionable guidance for policymakers, funders, and service leaders to embed culturally responsive, anti-racist practice in perinatal mental health systems.

3. Influencing change

Moving from insight to impact, the MMHA will seek to:

Ensure that Black mothers and birthing people’s voices are central to both ongoing research and service design
Leverage our network (160+ member organisations, partners, parents, clinicians) to amplify what's working and how care can be improved
Influence policy at the highest levels of government and NHS.

This will include a parliamentary event bringing the right policymakers and decision-makers to the table to discuss the project and how we ensure changes are not short-term but 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

Why are we doing this?

Because every mother or birthing person in the UK should:

Have access to compassionate, culturally competent, trauma-aware support during pregnancy and the postnatal period, without barriers.
Be seen, heard, and respected in their identity, culture, faith, language, and experience.
Have access to services designed in partnership with their communities.
Be protected by systems that are accountable, transparent, and committed to reducing inequalities.

Black Maternal Mental Health Report

COMING SOON. The report will be launching on Tuesday 23 September during the fifth annual Black Maternal Mental Health Week, founded and led by The Motherhood Group

Project announcement

"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...."

Read press release

Black maternal mental health in 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.

Real stories

Our valued network of 'Lived Experience Champions' share their stories to help raise awareness, reduce stigma and influence positive system change.

Read stories