The Mothers United for Maternity and Mental Health Action (MUMMA) scheme will offer practical help, emotional support and candid advice for Black, Asian and Mixed ethnicity mothers and mothers-to-be. The charities behind MUMMA know from their own frontline experience that such parents frequently do not receive antenatal and maternity care which meets their specific needs. This can have a huge impact on the physical and mental health of the family.
What is MUMMA?
MUMMA is a partnership between Barnardo’s, Raham Project which supports ethnic minority families in Peterborough and CPSL Mind, a mental health charity that promotes positive health across Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, and South Lincolnshire. It is for those who are planning a family, are currently pregnant or have a child under the age of two.
On a national scale, preterm births, miscarriage, and termination rates are notably higher for Black people than for white people. In addition, Black women are four times more likely to die in childbirth than white women, two times higher for Mixed ethnicity women and almost twice as high for Asian women*. In an aim to address this, MUMMA will run throughout this year in Peterborough ahead of plans for it to be rolled out elsewhere across the UK on a permanent basis.
Rukshana Kapasi, Barnardo’s Director of Health, said: “Sadly, we know all too well how Black mothers struggle to get antenatal and maternity care which respects and supports their own cultural views, wishes, and nuances. This can lead to poor mental and physical health for them and also their young children in such formative years of their lives.
“We hope that MUMMA can provide an apt solution through specialist, considerate and culturally sensitive care which puts the true needs of such families at the heart of all that is on offer.”
MUMMA is funded by SEEN, which is a Barnardo’s initiative which champions and supports children and young people of African, Asian, and Caribbean heritage.
As a charity which helps children, young people and families from all backgrounds and cultures, Barnardo’s SEEN aims to help children and young people of African, Asian, and Caribbean heritage to thrive. It encourages them to celebrate and embrace their rich cultural heritage, its nuances, and diversity as part of their British identity.
SEEN works both independently and in partnership with relevant organisations and groups to offer evidence-led and insight-informed help, support, and advocacy for anyone up to the age of 25 with African, Asian, and Caribbean heritage.
SEEN’s Director, Ghino Parker, said: “We know that people from a variety of Black communities and groups in the UK are disproportionately disadvantaged which can impact on their opportunities to thrive – sadly, the experiences around becoming a parent are often marred by this prejudice. Shocking statistics and harrowing personal experiences regularly illustrate this.
“MUMMA is a step in the right direction to help with this in a location where we know families are struggling. We hope that the success in this area will lead to the programme being adopted in other parts of the country where we know there’s other families facing similar challenges.”
How to get in touch
To find out more about MUMMA, including how to benefit from the service, visit www.barnardos.org.uk/mumma. For more information about SEEN visit www.weareseen.org.uk
