Help raise awareness of the value of perinatal peer support
Quality peer support during pregnancy, birth and beyond helps give babies the best possible start in life
We know it can be life changing for volunteers and parents.
We know it can achieve healthier pregnancies, and better births.
We know there are clear benefits to the wellbeing of mothers, fathers, partners and babies.
So why do excellent perinatal peer support programmes struggle to survive?
We invite you to join our campaign to raise awareness of how valuable peer support is during this critical time. Share your stories and ideas and let’s help perinatal peer support programmes to flourish across the UK!
Why are we campaigning?
By raising awareness of just how valuable peer support is, we aim to inspire and attract funders and commissioners to commit to much needed investment in this area. Every parent deserves support and every baby deserves the best possible start in life.
How to get involved:
- Add your voice! Let us know you're joining us by choosing to:
- Share an example with the community of how peer support has helped either yourself, or a parent or volunteer that you know. Sign in to your profile and start a conversation
- Any questions? Share them with the community and we can brainstorm together!
- Share examples, news, events and updates with us on social media - tag us @parents1st and we'll share with our social networks
- Connect with others across the UK.
- Sign up to our monthly newsletter - we'll keep you up to date with the latest news from the perinatal peer support community
- Want to be featured in our 'Community Voices'? If you've got an interesting story to share, email us at [email protected]
- Share this campaign with your friends, family and colleagues:
Can you help us to shine a light on all the great work going on across the UK?
Whether you’re a professional, organisation, volunteer or parent we’d love to hear more about the peer support that is being offered across the UK! Tell us how you’re helping parents, or how peer support has helped you.
Sign in and join the conversation here: https://parents1st.org.uk/activity/tell-us-what-difference-peer-support-has-made-to-you
Our aim is to help other parents to be inspired to seek and offer support and to raise awareness of the benefits peer support can provide. Hearing real accounts of the benefits it offers and the difference it makes is so important to highlight how vital this work is and the need for continued investment.
We look forward to reading your stories!
On the 18th June 2021, The Royal Foundation launched a new Centre for Early Childhood to drive awareness of the extraordinary impact of the early years, in order to transform society for generations to come. We share our thoughts on the launch here.
To coincide with the launch, The Royal Foundation have also published it's inaugural report, Big Change Starts Small, which underlines the critical impact of the early years on lifelong outcomes and mental wellbeing.
Join the conversation and share your thoughts on how this report will impact perinatal peer support initiatives.
Celebrating volunteering in pregnancy, birth & beyond - Virtual conference highlights!
We've put together a short video with highlights from the Parents 1st UK two-day virtual conference that celebrated volunteering in pregnancy, birth and beyond: https://parents1st.org.uk/parents-1st-uk-virtual-conference-2020
This event brought together the peer support community to launch this brand new community website, discuss how we can work together to ensure quality peer support flourishes across the UK, and how we can adapt and survive in these challenging times.
During September 2020, The Royal Foundation hosted a roundtable with The Duchess of Cambridge and 8 key organisations to discuss parent-to-parent support.
Her Royal Highness has had a keen interest in maternal mental health for many years now but was keen to learn more about perinatal peer support.
Find out more: https://parents1st.org.uk/parents1st-attends-roundtable-with-the-duchess-of-cambridge
Celebrate Volunteering in Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond: Sharing, connecting, adapting and surviving!
Join Parents 1st UK this October for a virtual 2 day event to hear how quality peer support, starting in pregnancy, makes a real difference to parents, babies, families and communities – even more so during these troubled times.
- Come together to share learning about adapting to COVID-19
- Explore sustainability and funding issues with a presentation from the National Lottery Community Fund
- Hear the latest research about ‘what works’
- Listen to inspiring stories from volunteers, pregnant women and fathers
- Connect with practitioners who are coordinating initiatives
- Join an on-line community that is passionate about perinatal peer support
This two-day virtual conference will not only celebrate excellent examples of initiatives operating across the country but will also explore how these amazing initiatives can adapt, survive and flourish.
Find out more: https://parents1st.org.uk/activity/parents1st-uk-virtual-conference-tuesday-13th-october-and-thursday-15th-october-2020
How to get involved:
- Let us know you support this campaign by choosing to
- Start or join in a conversation with our on-line community – share ideas and connect with others across the UK. Click here to
- Sign up to our monthly newsletter - we'll keep you up to date with the latest news from the perinatal peer support community
- Share your stories of how peer support has helped - email us at [email protected]
Share this campaign on social networks:
Latest campaign activities
Members supporting the campaign
Parents1st Team Member
Laura Maguire
I'm Laura and I am a Perintal Peer Support Link Worker for the Peer to Parent network. I cover the Harlow and West Essex area. My role is to support families who are curerently expecting or have babies up to the age of 1 years old. I can provide peer ...
View profileMy role is to signpost families to our evidence based programs for antenatal classes, register them for Healthy Start Vouchers and towards volunteering opportunities they may be interested in. I am also responsible for guiding the volunteers on our L ...
View profileHello! I am co-director of a Birmingham and Black Country based CIC providing perinatal mental health and infant feeding support via volunteers
... View profile