Perinatal Mental Health Peer Support provided by FWT – A Centre for Women
The Perinatal Mental Health project has been established since 2019 by FWT. The aim of the project is to educate women on perinatal mental health and provide peer support to Black and Minority Ethnic women, including those who attend antenatal, postnatal and baby clinic around baby blues, low mood, anxiety, depression and isolation.
Coventry Project
Funded by Coventry & Warwickshire Partnership (CWPT), the Coventry project continues to work alongside the MAMTA (FHLS) programme and the Perinatal Mental Health Team (PMHT) at CWPT to educate women on perinatal mental health, providing 1-1 Peer Support and group support. The 1-1 support is provided face to face, on the phone or on a video call. We also support women experiencing acute mental health to be referred to the PMHT at CWPT.
We also work with external partners to ensure that they provide culturally sensitive services. We do this by sitting on Local Maternity and Neonatal Systems (LMNS) meetings, Maternity & Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP) and other bodies. In addition, culturally appropriate training is provided to health professionals, and we work with partners to identify gaps in the take up maternity services and target groups of women for raising awareness.
We work with the Perinatal Mental Health Team, Lotus Team, Coventry VIG and other health professionals and will make referrals to relevant agencies where appropriate
Start for Life – Perinatal Mental Health
The Coventry team has extended their services in working within Coventry’s Family Hubs as part of the Start for Life project. It aims to educate, raise awareness and offer specialist peer support to women around their mental health in antenatal and postnatal period. It specialises this support to BAME (Black and Asian Minority Ethnic) communities in Coventry.
Warwickshire PNMH Peer Support Project
Following continued commissioning from SWFT and LMNS we are extending FWT‘s provision of PNMH peer support for women from BAME backgrounds beyond Coventry and into other targeted areas of Warwickshire.
This project is overseen by FWT Health & MAMTA Programme Manager, Noreen Bukhari, and carried out by peer support workers who are raising awareness of PNMH among BAME communities and providing 1-1 support for women living in:
Rugby Leamington Spa Nuneaton Stratford
Our Perinatal Mental Health Peer Support workers are also delivering this service to refugees and asylum seekers across Warwickshire.
We welcome referrals for perinatal women (from pregnancy and up to 2 years after birth) with low to moderate anxiety, depression or loneliness and isolation.
For more information or to make a referral, email pmht@fwt.org.uk
The Support Group
The Support Group for women who experience perinatal mental health takes place every other Wednesday at 10:30am. This is virtually through zoom and the topics of discussions are set by the women who attend.
Rajpreet: “When I first joined the support group, I was scared to go on the call. I had had bad experiences with some professionals, but Surindar called me every week and encouraged me to join. When I first met her, she gave me a leaflet and it saved me from going through a really bad depression. The support took so much pressure off my mind and put me at ease.”
For more details, please email pmht@fwt.org.uk
Healing
This video has been produced in partnership with Warwickshire County Council and FWT following consultation with FWT clients who have experienced perinatal mental health. The film is produced by Bhulla Behgal from Bluebell Films.
