According to the Maternal Mental Health Alliance report mental health problems in the perinatal period affect 1 in 5 women
Home-Starts across the UK are raising awareness for Maternal Mental Health Week in their communities, showing that in addition to clinical services, vital peer support is available in their area through the charity’s network of confidential, trained volunteers as well as a wide range of Home Start projects like antenatal groups, postnatal groups, and Mothers in Mind sessions.
The Home-Start UK survey Home Is Where We Start From shows that 91% of parents who received support said Home Start made a positive difference to family life.
Alex Corgier, Perinatal Lead for Home-Start UK, said: “We understand the value of face to face connections. Reaching out for support either to family and friends, a professional such as your midwife or health visitor, or getting in touch with a local community organisation like Home-Start could be the first step to make a positive difference. Meantime, we want to remind mums to remember they are brilliant, remind them to take breaks, remember self-care, know that parenting is tough and most of all remember that parenting is not always the picture perfect lifestyle often portrayed on social media.”
The theme for 2022 was ‘The Power of Connection’ – a deeply needed theme following two years of Covid. One of the biggest impacts that Home-Start can have is on feelings of isolation and loneliness: parents across Gloucestershire reported a 32% improvement in feelings of isolation following support.
“Knowing very few people locally, I believe Home-Start were key to saving my sanity!”
“You do such an amazing job. I could not have done the first few years of my son’s life without you.”
Dr Alain Gregoire, Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist and MMHA’s Honorary President, said: “There has been fantastic investment into specialist perinatal mental health services across the UK in recent years. This has been transformative for women, babies and families affected by the most severe and complex mental health problems, but there are still major gaps for those who don’t need such highly specialised care.”
Here at Home-Start we are working hard to fill those gaps so that every child has the best start in life.