New project: Women in the Workplace

Best Beginnings is thrilled to be working in partnership with Pregnant Then Screwed to support women in the workplace during pregnancy, parental leave and returning to work.

‘Women in the Workplace’ is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. It is an exciting and innovative new two-year project which aims to support women in pregnancy, during maternity leave and on returning to work, helping 200,000 families by 2025. 

Best Beginnings and Pregnant then Screwed will use the funding to engage with employers, women and birthing people to co-produce information that supports employers and expectant parents to manage maternity health and wellbeing both at home and in the workplace.

About Best Beginnings and Baby Buddy  

Best Beginnings is the national charity that works to support all parents and caregivers throughout pregnancy and until children are five years old, with an unwavering focus on reducing inequalities. 

We embrace co-creation, evidence, digital and film to inform and empower mothers, fathers, parents and caregivers of all backgrounds to look after their mental and physical health and to maximise their children's long-term physical, mental and emotional development.  

We are best known for our multi-award-winning Baby Buddy app which is endorsed by the NHS and many Royal Colleges. Baby Buddy provides parents with accurate, accessible and personalised daily information through their pregnancy and the first year of their child's life.  

Baby Buddy provides trusted, evidence-based written and film content and self-care tools to help parents build their knowledge and confidence during pregnancy, in the transition to parenthood and throughout the early stages of parenting.  

Best Beginnings’ commitment to Women in the Workplace 

As part of the Women in the Workplace programme, Best Beginnings will work with employers, women and birthing people to co-produce new content for expectant and new parents. We will build parents’ knowledge and confidence, and enable them to thrive, both in their home lives and in the workplace. This new content will be delivered through our Baby Buddy app and associated content channels, and will build upon our existing content for women in the workplace, created in collaboration with Maternity Action.  

 
About Pregnant Then Screwed  

Pregnant Then Screwed is a charity founded and managed by women with lived experience of pregnancy and maternity discrimination. We run free specialist educational programmes and support services for women from the point that discrimination occurs, right the way through to a successful outcome. We are an agile, grassroots organisation that reaches women across the UK. 

We tackle the root causes of maternity discrimination and promote the rights of women, by campaigning; supporting pregnant women and mothers to access free legal advice; contributing to government consultations and policymaking; and providing training to employers to help them make their workplace the best it can be for working parents. 

Pregnant Then Screwed’s commitment to Women in the Workplace 

As part of the Women in the Workplace programme Pregnant Then Screwed will provide training and consultancy to employers. The programme will build on the support already available to employers, parents and parents-to-be from Pregnant Then Screwed’s advice services.

Project outputs  

In addition to the new resources for Baby Buddy we will work with Pregnant Then Screwed to develop a new employer pathway including training and consultancy and an accompanying support package for employers to better support the reproductive health of the women they employ.  

The specific project outputs will include: 

  • New content within the Baby Buddy app to support pregnant women and new mothers across England with their reproductive health at work 
  • A co-produced online training programme to advise and inform employers of how best to support their staff when experiencing reproductive health issues 
  • A Baby Buddy package designed to meet the needs of pregnant women and new mothers in the workplace that can be tailored to the needs of specific employers 
  • An evaluation report which outlines the evidence gathered from both employers and women in the workplace on the key reproductive heath issues faced at work providing recommendations on good practice for employers in supporting women’s reproductive health 

When the Women in the Workplace programme has been completed, key findings, good practice recommendations and the evaluation report will be shared on Best Beginnings’ and Pregnant Then Screwed's website and social media channels. 

Get Involved 

  • If you work for a small or medium enterprise and are interested in being part of the Pregnant Then Screwed pilot workplace program, please contact training@pregnantthenscrewed.com 
  • If you are a pregnant person in the workplace or a working parent interested in being part of our research and engagement work to develop the content for Baby Buddy please contact [email protected] 
  • If you are interested in hearing more updates about the Women in the Workplace programme please follow us on social media: 
     

Best Beginnings social media handles:  

Baby Buddy social media handles: 

Pregnant Then Screwed  

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