We support the wellbeing of parents through a range of activities as well as working in partnership with local mental health and wellbeing services.

In 2020, as part of the South London Listens campaign parents, leaders and staff listened to 300 parents talk about their mental health. We then co-led workshops with parents to draw out the key themes and come up with some solutions.

Some of the key challenges that came up were:

Stigma around mental health - cultural taboos or feeling ashamed to talk about mental health. This could also be fear of the consequences, e.g. social services.

Access to services - From not knowing where to start, to long waiting lists and mental health services that are not appropriate or the right fit for the individual.

We asked parents what they wanted to do about it and they proposed something that is parent-led and offers a space for peer-support. The proposed solution was a peer-support offering by parents for parents. In 2022, This became Mindful Mamas, a co-produced wellbeing course for parents. We ran 4 courses in Southwark, and 2 in Lambeth in partnership with Max Roach, run by LCC.

Mindful Mamas was an opportunity for parents to support one another, learn new things, share skills and experiences and set goals and connect with other parents. Many of the Mindful Mamas continue to engage in wellbeing and mental health work, sharing their skills with the wider community.

To find out more about the project, take a look at:

• KCL's Evaluation of Mindful Mamas:

KCL - Mindful Mamas Evaluation Report 2023

• Mindful Mamas Toolkit - to learn more about co-production with parents:

Mindful Mamas Toolkit - Guidance on Co-Production in Wellbeing Services

• Mindful Mamas' Journal and Handbook - For a range of mindfulness activities and tips!

Mindful Mamas Journal