Parents in Mind (PiM) is a National Childbirth Trust (NCT) project providing peer support for women who are experiencing poor mental health during pregnancy or within two years after birth. The project aims to improve wellbeing, reduce isolation, increase confidence and facilitate access to relevant information and other appropriate services.
Our peer supporters are local mums who have experienced poor mental health during pregnancy or early parenthood who are now well, and can offer their time to support others. Volunteers provide a friendly listening ear as well as signpost to services and organisations that may be helpful to the woman’s individual circumstances.
Support is offered:
- In a group setting - in person, twice weekly at children's centres, regular walk & talks, and virtually via Zoom;
- On a one to one basis - via phone calls and texts, or in person in a public space within the community i.e. children’s centre, library, walk at a local park, or other public space.
Support can be ongoing until the child's 2nd birthday. It can be a step-up or step-down from other mental health services, or compliment them.
Exclusion criteria:
• Not to be used as a crisis service
• Fathers/partners and non-birthing parents
• Those aged 15 and under
• Pregnant people aged 16-17 years whose needs exceed those volunteer training can
support safely and effectively
• Individuals who have experienced long term chronic mental health difficulties or those experiencing severe mental health concerns
• Individuals presently experiencing multiple risk factors which can impact adversely on their mental health (e.g. temporary accommodation, domestic abuse, eating disorder, recent substance misuse, recent release from prison, recent release from MBU, partner has a serious mental illness)
Co-morbidity of risk factors creates a support dynamic that is beyond the resource of the training PiM volunteers access, so managing this level of complexity would not be safe or impactful for the client
• Individuals who have recently made suicidal plans or taken other suicidal action, and/or have experienced recent consuming suicidal thoughts
• Those who are not presently caring for their child, due to social services intervention, miscarriage or birthing a still born child/experience of an infant death. Bereaved families will be signposted to midwifery/specialist perinatal and bereavement support services
• Families working with social services at Level 3 or 4, will be supported on a case-by-case basis (after an individual risk assessment has been conducted to ensure service suitability)
• Those individuals scoring 15+ on the baseline HADS, or a subsequent follow up HADS assessment
• Consent required for referral, and PiM cannot be part of a mandated social services ‘action’
Referral through a professional or self-referral via https://app.upshot.org.uk/signup/6be8bc72/36fa55db9455ffbd/
For volunteering opportunities email parentsinmind.newham@nct.org.uk or fill out https://forms.office.com/e/WwwFCQAPzn
Newham residents who are pregnant or who have had a baby in the past 2 years