Our Parents in Mind project provides safe, sensitive, and impactful perinatal mental health peer support, delivered by local parent volunteers.
Find out how to access the service, become a peer support volunteer, or commission a service in your area.
About NCT Parents in Mind
Bringing a baby into the world can be a joyous experience, but this transition might also present some challenges to a parent’s wellbeing. Connecting with others who have a similar experience can make a huge difference.
Our Parents in Mind service is available for parents:
- who are mums and birthing people, and for dads and non-birthing partners in some areas
- with mild to moderate mental health challenges
- in the perinatal period, from pregnancy up to two years after childbirth
Peer support for parents
Our peer supporter volunteers provide support for parents.
Peer supporters have lived experience of the challenges that early parenthood can present. They are passionate about making sure new parents don’t feel alone.
Our peer supporters undertake accredited training to provide a friendly listening ear. This support can be one-to-one or in group settings, online or face-to-face.
Parents in Mind project aims
Enable parents to build their confidence and a social support network with other parents
Empower parents with access to information and signposting to other helpful services
Value parental wellbeing and reduce stigma around mental health challenges
Find a Parents in Mind service
Parents in Mind is currently available for mums and birthing people in the following areas:
Our service for dads and birthing partners is available in the following areas:
The East Sussex Parents in Mind service ended on 31 March 2025 due to funding. For all enquiries, please email parentsinmind@nct.org.uk.
How Parents in Mind makes a difference
Become a Parents in Mind peer supporter
We are looking for peer supporter volunteers to join an amazing team, offering a judgement free, welcoming space to new parents who are feeling anxious, isolated or are struggling with their mental wellbeing.
As a supporter, you will be able to empathise with the ups and downs of parenthood and be that vital listening ear.
We are looking for volunteers who have lived experience of either:
- perinatal mental health difficulties
- supporting someone closely who has experienced these challenges
How you can help
As a Parents in Mind peer supporter, you will:
- provide one-to-one and group-based support for parents, online or in person
- offer local and national signposting for parents
- liaise with local Parents in Mind staff, who will co-ordinate parallel or more suitable referrals
Training and support
We will provide you with:
- 21 hours of OCN accredited training
- safeguarding and GDPR training and enhanced DBS checks
- regular reflective and clinical support from a psychotherapist
How to apply
You can apply to become a peer supporter by completing an expression of interest form.
After you submit the form, a member of the team will get in touch with more information.
Commission a Parents in Mind service
The Parents in Mind service cultivates referral pathways between itself and clinical, maternity and community partners. This offers a useful step up from universal support, and a helpful step down from therapeutic intervention.
Clinical support for parents can be well complemented by social and emotional connections with other local parents and partner community services. This aids confidence and builds resilience, putting the family at the centre of joined up provision when pathways are integrated and cohesive.
Funding
Our current operational sites are funded by NHS integrated care boards, Public Health and the Family Hubs provision.
We are an integrated and integral part of the local perinatal mental health pathway.
Data
We provide anonymised data that is both qualitative and quantitative, and reported quarterly. This data captures service performance to identify:
- progressive service improvement
- partnership strengths
- areas for development
- local trends in parental need
Contact us
You can discuss support options and the possibility of commissioning Parents in Mind in your area by contacting programme.delivery@nct.org.uk.
Co-production reports
- NCT Parents in Mind
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Download the NCT Parents in Mind pilot report.
Parents in Mind, a perinatal mental health peer support programme run by the national charity NCT, offers strengths-based, non-directive support to women experiencing mild to moderate mental health challenges during pregnancy or within two years postpartum. Delivered by trained volunteers with lived experience, support is provided either one-to-one or in informal group settings. The programme is underpinned by values of empathy, trust, confidentiality, and safety, with volunteers receiving accredited training and ongoing supervision.
A pilot funded by the Department of Health across three diverse UK sites—Coventry & Warwickshire, Halton, and Newham—supported 182 mothers and was evaluated by City, University of London using a test-and-learn approach. Findings showed that peer support positively complemented professional care, particularly among mothers facing socio-economic disadvantage, and informed the development of logic models to guide future delivery and risk mitigation.
- NCT Parents in Mind in Halton
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Download the NCT Parents in Mind Halton co-production report.
Over a three-month period, NCT Parents in Mind, in collaboration with Halton Family Hubs, engaged 101 local parents through surveys, focus groups, and interviews to explore experiences with perinatal mental health support.
This co-production project aimed to amplify diverse voices and shape accessible services by identifying what support parents need, when they need it most, and the barriers they face—particularly for fathers and working parents.
Emphasising inclusion, varied engagement methods, and a focus on peer support and approachable healthcare providers, the findings aim to guide service improvements that better reflect the real needs of Halton families.
- NCT Parents in Mind for fathers and non-birthing parents in Newham
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Download the NCT Parents in Mind fathers and non-birthing parents Newham co-production report.
This report outlines the co-produced development of a peer support system in Newham to support fathers and non-birthing partners facing mild to moderate mental health challenges.
Led by the NCT, the initiative engaged 166 local parents over 118 hours to identify key themes like accessibility, emotional wellbeing, and inclusive service design.
A culturally sensitive and community-embedded approach informed the design of a pilot peer support programme, which trains local volunteers to deliver tailored support.
The project reflects deep community collaboration, ensuring the service is responsive, inclusive, and representative of Newham’s diverse needs.
- NCT Parents in Mind in St Helens
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Download the NCT Parents in Mind St Helens co-production report.
This report, led by NCT Parents in Mind in partnership with St Helens Family Hubs, explores the experiences of 151 local parents and caregivers in accessing low-level perinatal mental health support.
Through surveys, interviews, and focus groups, the project gathered diverse insights into what works and where improvements are needed, with a strong focus on inclusivity, accessibility, and lived experience.
The findings aim to shape more effective and parent-friendly services in St Helens, particularly in a community facing significant health deprivation.