New study on supporting the mental health of young parents through community or voluntary services

The UK’s Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week runs 5 - 11th May in 2025. The theme for this year is focused on supporting new mums to find a voice and seek help and support with their mental health. This fits with a new study that is underway, looking at the specific role social prescribing can play in supporting the mental health of young mums.

Led by Dr Ruth Naughton-Doe at the University of York, and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Research Programme for Social Care, the project will examine the role of the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector in this work, including the involvement of link workers. The new study is evaluating four community-based VCSE services in England that offer support to mothers aged under 25. The research team will be interviewing up to 40 parents who use the services and the professionals that support them to find out who support is helpful for and why.

Background to the study

Insights that have informed the study come from the award-winning Maternal Mental Health Service prototype hosted by Ways to Wellness. It was delivered by VCSE sector partners including Sunderland Counselling Service. These insights are being carried forward into the study, which is focused specifically on parents and parents-to-be under the age of 25.

Ang Broadbridge, Head of Implementation at Ways to Wellness explained: “Our maternal mental health work identified several areas in which social prescribing can be used to best support the needs of clients in this age group.

“For example, younger parents involved in our original prototype expressed a preference for distinct communication channels for appointments and reminders, such as WhatsApp or other messaging services, as well as an inclination towards afternoon meetings and consultations to ensure babies were not being woken especially to attend, thereby eating into time when the parent themselves is able to rest.

“Many clients asked for support with time management to help them navigate the commitments involved in being a new parent, and for mums still living at home with their own parents, support from link workers proved to be vital in terms of helping them feel validated in their decision-making, which in turn boosted self-esteem.

“Grandparents may take a more hands-on role when a birthing parent is very young, but we found in some cases this could lead to challenges around feeling free and able to attend appointments unaccompanied by other family members.”

Risk of mental health issues 

Data from widespread sources have identified multiple challenges for young parents that place them at particular risk of mental health issues, such as their entitlement to a lower minimum wage and housing benefits, as well as lower levels of both financial and health literacy.

Ang continued: “These parents are acutely aware of the responsibility they carry for the children they are bringing into the world, and that can be overwhelming enough for more experienced individuals. We therefore need to take particular care to ensure resources and tools are accessible, written or explained in Plain English, and don’t alienate those they are designed to support.  

“Link worker support can feel like a lifeline to those who no longer feel connected to school friends and other peers with no children, but younger parents tell us they often don’t feel they fit in at traditional mother and baby groups either.

“Using this insight, we are now applying academic rigour to further explore the value of social prescribing in terms of building trust with vulnerable individuals, helping them to find social connections that support both their babies’ development and their own mental health.”

Speaking about reasons for conducting the study in relation to the potential role of social prescribing in community settings, Dr Naughton-Doe noted: “Research evidence suggests these services can improve parents’ wellbeing, but there is a lack of evidence about what works specifically for young mothers and birthing parents.”

Find out more about the study at perinatalsupport.co.uk.

This study is funded through a grant by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR206560). Views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.