Home-Start in Gloucesteshire
We're there for parents when they need us the most because childhood can't wait
Mothers in Mind Gloucestershire
Perinatal Mental Health Support
Mothers in Mind is part of Home-Start Gloucestershire’s support of families with pre-school aged children.
Mothers in Mind has run in the Stroud District since 2017 and due to recent funding from the Big Lottery Fund we are now able to extend the provision of our Mothers in Mind drop-in groups into Gloucester City, Cheltenham, the Forest of Dean, and Tewkesbury.
We support women during pregnancy and in the first two years after having a baby, by creating spaces, both face-to-face and online, that feel non-judgmental and nurturing. Our group facilitators are mothers with lived experience of perinatal mental health issues, who will offer practical and emotional support.
What is Mothers in Mind? (MIMs)
Mothers in Mind groups are for pregnant mums and mums with children up to two years old who are experiencing extra challenges and who would like some additional support during this time. Issues you might be facing include, but are not limited to, domestic abuse, learning difficulties, physical disabilities, debt, isolation and loneliness, lone parenting, traumatic birth, loss i.e. miscarriage or stillbirth, history of depression, or other mental health challenges i.e. eating disorder, bipolar disorder and acute mental health hospital admission. The effects of these issues on a mother’s mental health can include feelings of isolation/loneliness, attachment difficulties, PND, moderate to severe anxiety, including social anxiety, PTSD, low self-esteem and trust issues.
Our Mothers in Mind model of support enables us to create a space where women can share their stories and fears, build new friendships and enjoy a supportive group in a neutral atmosphere, away from the stresses and strains of home. Supporting mothers with mental health issues supports them as parents to forge a positive relationship between themselves and their children.
Our Mothers in Mind groups are a space for social engagement and building connections.
We create groups that feel non-judgemental and nurturing for mothers and provide a creative play space for their babies and children too.
The nature of perinatal mental health is that getting out of the house can be a huge challenge. We will offer practical and emotional support in getting a mother to a group for the first time.
All Home-Start staff and volunteers are highly trained in offering non-stigmatised support to vulnerable families. They receive training in mental health, infant mental health, first aid, safeguarding, adverse childhood experiences, equality and diversity, early years education and many other issues that affect family life.
We work towards providing groups and one-to-one support that is safe, inclusive, informed and professional, working with local specialist mental health services and early help professionals whilst remaining distinct and independent of statutory services.
Mothers in Mind is:
- Safe and nurturing offering non-judgemental empathic support to mothers that are referred or refer themselves to our group. As part of Home-Start in Gloucestershire, the project is rooted in the central premise that our work is fundamentally about parents supporting others parents. We walk alongside parents to support them through their difficult days and not to tell them what and how to do things.
- Accessible and inclusive; Mothers in Mind groups take proactive steps to ensure accessibility and inclusivity for all.
- Informed: Design and delivery led by people with lived experience Mothers in Mind upholds the the idea that good peer support involves people with relevant lived experience in its design and delivery.
Next: Fundraising
