Safer Beginnings programme awards £150k funding Safer Beginnings programme awards £150,000 funding to organisations across the UK working to champion women and girls self-advocacy in relation to safety from violence and harm. We are delighted to announce that we have awarded £150,000 of funding to a portfolio of incredible organisations working to support women and birthing people to advocate for their maternal safety. This funding is part of our Safer Beginnings programme, led by Best Beginnings and the White Ribbon Alliance UK and made possible with funding from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport through the Tampon Tax Fund. The programme aims to improve maternal health outcomes and post-partum safety of over 70,000 women across England, Wales and Scotland with a focus on reducing obstetric violence, domestic violence and FGM. As part of this, we are planning to launch new, accessible content in our award-winning Baby Buddy app, designed for women and birthing people – including films, tailored information and access to support. Working in partnership with White Ribbon Alliance, and a cohort of 18 delivery partners, we are also championing respectful maternity care through the creation of e-learning modules, resources and guidance for midwives and healthcare professionals. In April 2022, we launched our Safer Beginnings onwards grants programme, inviting organisations who work to support women and girls during their maternity and early years transition into parenting to apply for a grant of up to £40,000. Applications were assessed by our onward grants panel and successful applicants attended a pitch day in London, which resulted in 8 organisations receiving funding. Individual voices and experiences are vital to improving maternity care and we’d like to thank all of the brilliant organisations that applied and took part in this process. Below you can read further details about the Safer Beginnings Onward Grant recipients: Africa Advocacy Foundation and 4M Africa Advocacy Foundation (AFF) is a registered charity established in 1996 to support and empower black and other minoritised communities experiencing disadvantage, marginalisation and barriers including ill health, violence, poverty, isolation, language difficulties, cultural attitudes, faith sensitivities and other needs through practical support, advocacy, building capacity, influencing policy, collaboration and sharing best practise and expertise. 4M is a unique peer-led programme led by Black migrant women. The organisations trains women living with HIV across the UK as Mentor Mothers to provide psycho-social support to peers in their pregnancy journey and beyond. AAF and 4M have come together to create Sure-Access. Sure-Access aims to empower minoritised black women who are at risk of or living within violence to become independent and act as champions and advocates for their own safety and those of their peers during pregnancy, childbearing and after birth. Find out more: https://www.africadvocacy.org/ and https://4mmm.org/ Amma Birth Companions Amma Birth Companions is a Glasgow charity that provides care, information and advocacy for birthing people in need of support. Amma offers birth and postnatal companionship, antenatal education and peer support activities. Amma have been operational since May 2019 and has served more than 150 parents to date. Amma’s mission is to ensure all birthing people feel seen, heard, and empowered throughout pregnancy, birth and early parenthood. Amma’s vision is to provide a safe, equitable and holistic model of reproductive care that centres the voices and experiences of marginalised and minoritised groups. Almost all of Amma’s clients have experienced complex trauma, including gender-based violence, trafficking and sexual abuse/exploitation and clients who have experienced FGM/FGC. The Safer Beginnings funding will be used to cover costs related to Amma’s birth and postnatal companionship programme. Find out more: https://ammabirthcompanions.org/ Aneurin Bevan University Health Board Aneurin Bevan University Health Board maternity services in Wales supports approximately 5,600 women a year through pregnancy, birth, and post-natal care. Aneurin Bevan University Health Board maternity services runs a regular service user group called BABI (Baby and Bump Improvement group). This group is involved in projects to improve care, including creating and facilitating work streams, and reviewing public facing information. Through funding with Safer Beginnings, this project aims to create a volunteer team of ‘Parent Supporters’ to provide support and guidance to families in their first language in clear, easily accessible ways, to be a peer supporter/ informative friend and to represent the voices of local communities within our service user forum. The volunteers will be provided with training from a Consultant Midwife and Specialist Midwife team to include safeguarding, FGM, domestic violence and where to access help, how to access services, place of birth options, adaptation to parenting, antenatal screening, how to access translation services and much more. Find out more: https://abuhb.nhs.wales/hospitals/a-z-of-services/maternity-services/ The Birth Partner Project The Birth Partner Project is a small Cardiff based charity providing birth partner support to women seeking sanctuary (refugees and asylum seekers) who face birth alone. The primary aim of The Birth Partner Project is to ensure that women get access to birth partner teams during the antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal periods, as well as holistic perinatal support. The Safer Beginnings Grant will fund a digital inclusion and wellbeing support programme to reduce isolation, improve wellbeing and increase access to information, self-advocacy and support for our beneficiaries.Find out more: www.birthpartnerproject.org Body & Soul For 26 years, Body & Soul has been transforming the life-threatening effects of adverse childhood experiences and trauma in marginalised communities by creating spaces where people connect, heal and grow, and build protective factors and resiliency. Body & Soul’s Positive Parents Place (PPP) provides holistic support to HIV+ pregnant women, mothers and their children aged 0-3. Through access to a series of workshops, therapies, specialist practical support and a community of peers from whom they find support, solidarity and voice in one another, PPP will give isolated HIV+ mothers, many fleeing from violent/abusive relationships, the opportunity to connect to others and rebuild their skills, trust and confidence whilst supporting children’s development so they can both go on to thrive. Find out more: http://bodyandsoulcharity.org/ Doula UK Doula UK was founded in 2001 to promote life-changing support for families in the childbearing year regardless of circumstance, while advocating for better support for UK families. Doula UK is a membership community of approximately 650 doulas. The Doula UK Access Fund will provide postnatal doula support to those most impacted by harm, violence and previous or existing trauma after the birth of a baby. A postnatal doula supports the mother/parent so they can be rested, positive and empowered. This care is invaluable in helping facilitate a nurturing bond with the baby giving them the opportunity for the best start in life.Find out more: https://doula.org.uk/ Lincolnshire Rape Crisis & Sexual Abuse Services Lincolnshire Rape Crisis is a recognised sexual violence service provider commissioned by the Ministry of Justice to deliver counselling, survivors support services, and advocacy services in Lincolnshire. The Empowerment Support, Trauma informed and Advocacy service (The ESTA programme) for women will be delivered by Lincolnshire Rape Crisis specialist support workers through a combination of group work and one-to-one support. The ESTA Programme will be delivered through 8 creative, fun, and interactive sessions of group work and training focusing on: safety, empowerment, self-care, positive & healthy relationships, recognising and reducing the risk of abuse and healthy choices. Support at Lincolnshire Rape Crisis is always delivered by fully trained sexual violence support specialists, therapists and counsellors. ESTA will offer empowered trauma informed support services to pregnant adults and young people and their children. Lincolnshire Rape Crisis will do this by providing a comprehensive and safe service through which they will be supported to cope with and recover from the sexual violence that they have experienced or are at risk of experiencing. Find out more: https://www.lincolnshirerapecrisis.org.uk/ Manage Cookie Preferences