Wandsworth Care Alliance

Better mental health support for Mums in Wandsworth

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Having children is celebrated as a joyful time full of celebration, but for many, becoming a parent can be destabilising, lonely, and even life-threatening. MBRRACE’s recent report shows that 40% of all maternal deaths (occurring between six weeks and a year after the end of pregnancy) are from mental health related causes. Maternal suicide is the biggest cause of perinatal deaths.

At Wandsworth Care Alliance we’ve been doing health studies and talking to local community organisations to find out more about these issues since 2022. We aim to start a bigger conversation about mental health support for mums and birthing parents, connecting people with the support services they need. For the last 2 years we have been building a healthwatch report on the impact of perinatal mental health, and the way parents access mental health services during this time.

When we spoke to 13 birthing parents from ethnically diverse backgrounds, we found that many didn’t ask for help with their mental health. Issues included not feeling safe to open up with healthcare professionals, experiences of discrimination, and not knowing who to turn to.

Read the latest report

A range of factors affected parents during this time, like having a partner for support, having a positive relationship with maternity staff, and 50% of participants claimed that poor housing negatively affected their mental health.

What next?

There is local mental health support available for parents. However, we’re finding out that people might not know where to find it or how to access it.

Talking to the NHS about working together on discussing this issue as part of maternity services will be key over the coming months but there is also action we can take together to make sure that people know where to get support.

Here are 3 support links you can use or share with parents.

Family support

Little Village story

“When having a baby you need a lot of stuff,” Jen, the Tooting baby bank manager. Jen first found the baby bank Little Village when she was looking to donate items her child had grown out of. She started volunteering and fell in love with the cause.

Not everybody has everything they need as a parent and Little Village offers free support bundles to Mums in need, with clothes, toys, bassinets and more, available to be delivered, or picked out in their shop experience.

Little Village pride themselves in giving more than just things, with a creche, space to talk and a signposting team. They often hear shocking stories of adversity from local Mums. This Winter, they’ve had more emergency calls from St. George’s Hospital for Mums who can’t be discharged from hospital because they have nothing for the baby to wear or sleep in. Little Village always needs donations and volunteers to deliver this vital work.

Volunteer

Donate

Free Events & Support for Mums

  • Breathe Melodies know that mental health makes a difference and offer informal Mother and Child singing sessions which are a great way to build bonds and share culture too. Find out more
  • Enable offer free fitness classes for Mums every week
  • Estate Arts are holding a free Baby & Me morning on 3rd February with life support training
  • The NHS are promoting early learning and development activity ideas on the Better Start for Life website. Click here

Do you have more resources to share on this story for local Mums? Email communications@wandcareall.org.uk so we can feel each other’s support.

Farewell to our VSCS Manager, Julie Bristow

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We wanted to let you know that Julie Bristow, the Voluntary Sector Coordination Service Manager, who has run the VSCS since it started in 2020 is leaving WCA this week. 

Julie said: “I want to thank all the organisations within the voluntary and community sector for the support and engagement you have had with the VSCS over the last four years.  It has been a really enjoyable and rewarding experience working with and alongside you all and witnessing first-hand the incredible contribution you have made, and continue to make, to Wandsworth and its residents.  I am sure you will go from strength to strength and rest assured that the Voluntary Sector Coordination Service will continue to inform, connect and support you as you go forward into 2024.”

What is Kooth? The free mental health service for young people

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What is Kooth? 4 young people sat against a red background holding paper speech bubbles over their faces

What is Kooth?

Kooth is a free, safe, anonymous online mental health service for young people that is accessible 24/7, 365 days of the year and provides access to chat sessions with BACP-accredited counsellors and qualified emotional wellbeing practitioners.

All our chat sessions are text-based conversations that take place on the Kooth website, and last up to an hour. Chat is available from 12pm – 10pm Monday through Friday, and 6pm – 10pm Saturday and Sunday, providing a much needed ‘out of hours’ service.

Kooth is accessible from any device.

koothplc.com

Are you able to see all content on the site?

There are restrictions in place to ensure that when using Kooth, you only see what is age appropriate for you. This also helps us to ensure you find the content that is most useful to you.

Any comments are pre-moderated to ensure that only relevant comments are posted and visible.

Can you create content on Kooth?

You can submit content and post on the discussion boards to share your experiences and to support others within the Kooth community.

We also encourage you to give us feedback by sharing your views of how we deliver our service.

This will help us to keep improving Kooth.

Can you message other young people on Kooth?

The safety of our users on Kooth is really important to us.

Therefore, you cannot add friends or directly message other young people on the site in the same way you can on gaming platforms or social media sites.

This is because we are an anonymous service and we need to make sure everyone using the site is safe.

When can you talk to someone?

The Kooth team are available to chat 7 days a week, 365* days of the year. You can access the magazine, discussion boards and any other online content whenever you like, from wherever you are.

Our friendly online team are available to chat during the following times:

From 12 noon until 10pm weekdays.

From 6pm until 10pm weekends.

To make sure we can support as many of you as possible, we do have a chat queue.

How long you will have to wait in the chat queue depends on how busy the site is so please be patient with us.

You can send a message to the team at any time and it will be responded to during service working hours. Our counsellors are employed by us and are fully qualified with the BACP or equivalent.

Do you need to be referred by a GP?

You do not need to be referred to Kooth to access the service.

You are invited and welcome to join as long as you fall within the age of 10-25.

Behind Closed Doors Book Launch and Empowerment Event

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Behind Closed Doors Book Launch and Empowerment Event

Join us for an exciting in-person event at Balham Library where we will be revealing our new book ‘Behind Closed Doors’ that tells the stories of how a few individuals left abusive relationships and bettered their lives.

This event will give you the opportunity to get a first look at the book as well as a chance to get advice and information from local organisations.

Behind Closed Doors Book Launch and Empowerment Event Tickets, Tue, Oct 24, 2023 at 12:00 PM | Eventbrite

SWL Investment Fund

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APPLYING TO THE SOUTH WEST LONDON INVESTMENT FUND

There is available through the NHS South West London Integrated Care System (ICS) for projects that can have a big impact on health and wellbeing of residents across South West London including Wandsworth.

There are two funds:

1.     ICP PRIORITIES FUND (formerly know as the Innovation Fund)

For project supporting the delivery of the Integrated Care Partnership’s strategic plan and priorities. The fund is divided as follows:

  • Workforce development has an allocation of £3,800,000
    • Other priorities of the strategy have a total allocation of £950,000
    • Preventing ill-health, promoting self-care, and supporting people to manage their long-term conditions 
    • Supporting the health and care needs of children and young people 
    • Positive focus on mental  well-being 
    • Community based support  for older and frail people
    • Cross-cutting themes have a total allocation of £150,000
      • Green Agenda
      • Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
      • Elevating the patient, carer and community voice

Projects will be funded until end of March 2025.

Do read the ICP Strategic plan as each priority has its own sub priorities for example, Workforce development has

  • Targeting difficult to recruit health and care roles
  • Making South West London a great place to work
  • Supporting local people into employment
  • Designing our future workforce, including new or different roles.
  • The workforce development workshop is on 12 October at 9am but the ICS has also organisated the online workshops  each priority in October. 

 2.     THE HEALTH INEQUALITIES FUND

This fund wants to tackle Health Inequalities (Core20+5) across SW London. For projects offering targeted health inequalities interventions for local populations. Allocation for WANDSWORTH: £161,885.33 for 2023/24 and £161,885.33 for 2024/25

You can find examples of projects funded last year here. New projects will be funded until March 2025.

APPLICATION INFORMATION AND SUPPORT

FAQs:

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