We are pleased to be signatories on this important open letter to the Government, calling on them to protect families and children by scrapping plans in the Sentencing Bill to name and shame people delivering Community Payback schemes in their entirety. Read the full open letter here: bit.ly/4qqotyX

We’re delighted to welcome Leah Hazard - midwife, author and women’s health advocate as our newest Ambassador. Leah’s bestselling books Hard Pushed and Womb have helped change how we talk about maternity care and women’s bodies. Learn more: www.birthcompanions.org.uk/articles/leah-hazard-ambassador

Thanks to your incredible generosity, we smashed our Big Give target and raised over £26,000 to support pregnant women, mothers and babies experiencing severe disadvantage. Donations were doubled through the Big Give Women & Girls Match Fund, until we hit our target, meaning twice the impact. 🧵1/4

Less than 24 hours to go! Thank you to everyone who has donated so far and helped us hit our target. Match funding may have ended, but there is still time to donate and support us to stand alongside pregnant women, mothers and their babies facing incredibly difficult circumstances: bit.ly/439N5Sr

Just 48 hours left to donate through the Big Give! Our match funding may have ended, but we still need your help. This is our only fundraiser this year, and your support enables us to stand alongside pregnant women, mothers and babies facing incredibly difficult circumstances. DONATE: bit.ly/439N5Sr

The women we support tell us what it means to be seen, heard and cared for in some of the most difficult and isolating circumstances. “Without them I couldn’t have the confidence to give birth. I am so grateful that there is a service that offers women a voice and support.” DONATE: bit.ly/439N5Sr

DONATE NOW and make double the difference for pregnant women, mothers and babies experiencing severe disadvantage in the UK today. Every £ you donate until midday on 15th October will be matched, until we hit our £10k target. DONATE: bit.ly/439N5Sr #HopeBeginsHere #WGMF #BirthCompanions #BigGive

From 8–15 October, every donation to Birth Companions via the Big Give will be doubled until the match funding runs out – unlocking up to £20,000 to support women and babies experiencing severe disadvantage. One donation. Twice the impact. 🌟Donate today: bit.ly/439N5Sr #HopeBeginsHere #WGMF

HOPE Boxes are now live across South East London! 🎉 We've been part of the Giving HOPE project since day one, working alongside the inspiring HOPE Mothers who designed these boxes. We couldn't be more thrilled to see them rolling out to more areas across the country. Read more: bit.ly/3KGgAVJ

Save the Date! Our week-long Big Give Women & Girls Match Fund campaign kicks off on Wed 8 Oct, midday. This means donations will be doubled until we hit our £10k target. Keep an eye on our website and social channels for updates at 12pm on Wednesday. #WGMF

We’re delighted to welcome Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti as Birth Companions’ new #ambassador - a writer for stage, screen and radio whose work has broken new ground and challenged audiences for over two decades. www.birthcompanions.org.uk/articles/gur...

Read our full response to the Sentencing Bill on our new website: www.birthcompanions.org.uk/articles/sen...

Good, bad, or somewhere in between? The government’s new Sentencing Bill has given us all a lot to think about. bit.ly/42EIZS5 🧵1/4

We’re gathered at @impurbanhealth.bsky.social for the launch of the #BirthCompanionsInstitute. Thank you to our brilliant speakers @mayasikand.bsky.social, @karenb-2.bsky.social, Ivie Itoje from @wen-uk.bsky.social, Brooklyn and Tuesdae from our Lived Experience Programme, and Hannah Rayment-Jones.

Today we’re launching the Birth Companions Institute, a new centre of expertise dedicated to achieving better care, equity and justice for pregnant women and mothers, and their babies. #BirthCompanionsInstitute #1001Days

We’re delighted to welcome Dr Annabel Sowemimo as Birth Companions’ new ambassador. A doctor, academic, activist, writer & founder of the Reproductive Justice Initiative, Annabel's work focuses on tackling health inequalities, racial disparities and improving access to care for marginalised groups.

We’re getting ready to launch something special next week, building on our 30 years of experience. Keep an eye on our website and social channels for updates. #BirthCompanionsInstitute

The findings of this year's @npeu-oxford.bsky.social MBRRACE-UK report on maternal deaths are, more than ever, deeply challenging. They present a stark picture of unmet need, widening inequalities and rising inequity. Read Birth Companions' response here: www.birthcompanions.org.uk/articles/mbr...

We're hiring! Our new Criminal Justice Services Manager will manage and develop all aspects of Birth Companions’ criminal justice-based services, and line-manage our team of criminal justice support coordinators. Find out more: www.birthcompanions.org.uk/pages/96-vac...

New report out today: Understanding Dual Contact for Women In this @crimeandjustice.bsky.social Working Paper, our Head of Policy Kirsty Kitchen discusses the significant, but largely neglected, overlap between the criminal justice system and children’s social care. bit.ly/3Ul7kb8

Researchers on the NoRePF Study @kingscollegelondon.bsky.social are inviting health and social care professionals and students complete a short survey about immigration policy understanding, NHS charging and confidence in supporting migrant families. Take part: qualtrics.kcl.ac.uk/jfe/form/SV_...

As the day closes, we have reconvened to discuss reflections and next steps. "Themes across breakout groups were remarkably similar. We need better connected systems, and understanding that giving families a voice makes things better for everyone." Angela Frazer Wicks @familyrightsgp.bsky.social

"We need to ensure that our systems can deal with complexity. The national care pathway will make a real difference if we can make it engage with complexity then it will be able to be more compassionate and empathetic." @kirstykitchen @birthcompanions.bsky.social #CSC1001

A third of women who died during or in the year after pregnancy were known to Children’s Social Care. Authors from @kingslsm.bsky.social @ox.ac.uk & @birthcompanions.bsky.social say urgent changes are needed to prioritise & improve mothers’ care. www.kcl.ac.uk/news/study-l...

Important research from @nihr.bsky.social @birthcompanions.bsky.social ‪@oxpop.bsky.social‬ finding that a third of women who die during or shortly after pregnancy are known to children’s services. www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

Our new study with kingscollegelondon.bsky.social & npeu-oxford.bsky.social shows 1 in 3 women who died during pregnancy or the year after were known to children's social care - higher than previously reported. Today we’re spotlighting the context & lived realities behind the numbers. bit.ly/4lw7ybm

Do listen back to this morning's BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour, if you missed it. Thank you to Kaat De Backer and Amy Van Zyl for reporting and reflecting on the devastating findings in our report published today. www.birthcompanions.org.uk/resources/sp... www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Our new study with @kingscollegelondon.bsky.social & @npeu-oxford.bsky.social shows 1 in 3 women who died during or in the year after pregnancy were known to children’s social care - higher than previously reported. www.birthcompanions.org.uk/resources/sp...

Powerful roundtable on maternity and migration policy brings together women with lived experience, policymakers and researchers. arc-sl.nihr.ac.uk/news-insight...

We welcome yesterday's announcement of a national maternity investigation. We're encouraged to see explicit focus on the devastating inequalities experienced by Black and Asian women, and those living in the most deprived areas. Our full reflections here: www.birthcompanions.org.uk/articles/bir...

Birth Companions Response to the 2025 Comprehensive Spending Review www.birthcompanions.org.uk/articles/bir...

Join our friends @wen-uk.bsky.social for this year’s Green Baby Day event: a lunchtime session connecting toy safety with wider calls for environmental justice, health equity and regulatory reform. Wednesday 11 June 12:00–1:15pm Online www.tickettailor.com/events/women...

We also recently spoke to our member, @birthcompanions.bsky.social, about the Izzy Project, their service which provides trauma-informed non-judgmental 1:1 advocacy support for women experiencing separation shortly after birth: www.agendaalliance.org/news/birthco...

Join us (in person or online) to rethink support for families involved with children’s social care in the first 1001 days of their child's life. Hear from people with lived experience, practitioners and policymakers at this important event. 👇 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/childrens-...

Join this year's Green Baby Day event: a powerful lunchtime session connecting the fight for toy safety with wider calls for environmental justice, health equity and regulatory reform. 🗓11 June, 12–1.15pm 📍Online 🔗 www.tickettailor.com... 🎙Karen Joash, Anna Watson, and Africa (Vitamin D Project)

📽️Watch Now: Supporting pregnant women and mothers of young children under probation supervision Our co-hosted webinar with Advance Charity is now available to watch online - focussing on specialist community CJS support for women during the 1001 days. www.birthcompanions.org.uk/resources/su...

We are delighted to see explicit recognition of the harms of prison for pregnant women and new mothers in today's Sentencing Review, with clear alternatives inc. suspended and deferred sentencing and increased community support set out. Our full response: www.birthcompanions.org.uk/articles/res...

We are deeply concerned by reports surrounding Bella May Culley, a young British woman currently imprisoned in Georgia while pregnant. Details emerging from her case - particularly the lack of access to medical care and the challenges she faces in a foreign prison system - are profoundly troubling.

Reminder that we will be co-hosting this webinar with Advance next week! Supporting pregnant women and mothers of young children under probation supervision: A Birth Companions and Advance webinar Tuesday 20th May 11:30am - 12:30pm Register to attend: events.teams.microsoft.com/event/a8fc78...

A new briefing paper published today by the National Women's Justice Coalition (NWJC) & the UK Women's Budget Group (WBG) presents shocking new data about the extent of the funding gap women’s organisations will be expected to plug in the financial year ahead. Read: wearenwjc.org.uk/nwjcwbgbrief...

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: We spoke to Brooklynn, a member of @birthcompanions.bsky.social Lived Experience Team, and Helen, Senior Coordinator on their Izzy Project, to hear more about the support they offer women navigating the removal of their newborn children.

On Thursday we launched the Lost Mothers Project findings @birthcompanions.bsky.social @britishlibrary.bsky.social Powerful performances from @cleanbrk.bsky.social, art by Beci Ward. Experiences shared reveal a depth of unimaginable pain - ‘…my whole body craved him’ Time 4 change is now.

We are among the many charities that have co-signed this letter to the Lord Chancellor. Blocking the Sentencing Council's guidelines on pre-sentence reports means putting more pregnant women, new mothers and babies in prison, and at risk of significant harm. www.theguardian.com/law/2025/apr...

One week left to apply for our July 2025 volunteer training programme!

We are recruiting for new Birth Companions volunteers in London! More info & application form: www.birthcompanions.org.uk/pages/3-beco... Sign up to the volunteering Q&A session we are hosting TOMORROW at 1:30pm: events.teams.microsoft.com/event/8a2e80...

Supporting pregnant women and mothers of young children under probation supervision. Webinar by @birthcompanions.bsky.social and @advancecharity.bsky.social 20 May 11.30-12.30 events.teams.microsoft.com/event/a8fc78...

Our Director Naomi Delap responds to Imposition Guideline delay: "We are disappointed that the Sentencing Council has has had to delay this coming into force. This updated guideline included specific and extensive direction on sentencing pregnant women and mothers of very young children...🧵

Being in a sold-out theatre watching #ScenesfromLostMothers has been incredible. 2 see shifts in public opinion was what we hoped for. We can & will stop sending pregnant women to prison. Thanks 2 amazing @cleanbrk.bsky.social cast & team ❤️ @herts.ac.uk @rcm.org.uk @birthcompanions.bsky.social

Thank you to everyone who came to our performances of Scenes from Lost Mothers at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama's Embassy Theatre this week. We had two incredible nights, with packed houses of passionate and engaged audience members.

Kirsty Kitchen talks about the need for co-ordinated and consistent national policy and shares the @birthcompanions.bsky.social charter for women with involvement from children's social care www.birthcompanions.org.uk/resources/bi... #PartnershipC