Dec 2022 / Admin
Inception of Perinatal Support Programme
Drawing on our long‑standing and deeply rooted health & social care service delivery, community engagements and needs assessment work with the minority ethnic communities, we have consistently listened to families' voices, stories, and lived realities. Through this process, we identified a profound and persistent gap in culturally responsive psychosocial support for families during pregnancy and the critical first 12 months after birth. Community feedback highlighted not only unmet clinical needs, but also feelings of isolation, anxiety, financial pressure, and a lack of culturally safe spaces where parents, particularly mothers, can speak openly and feel understood. For many migrant and minority ethnic families, the perinatal journey is shaped by multiple layers of vulnerability, including language barriers, unfamiliar health systems, cultural dislocation, insecure immigration status, and the loss of traditional family networks. These factors contribute significantly to health and social inequalities and too often remain invisible within mainstream provision. Families told us they needed support that recognises their strengths, honours their cultures, and walks alongside them with compassion and dignity at one of the most transformative moments of their lives – CHILDBIRTH.
In response to this evidence, and following extensive consultation with families, community leaders, healthcare professionals, and voluntary sector partners, we are proud to launch our perinatal psychosocial support service designed specifically for minority ethnic families. This programme was conceived and shaped by Rauf, Head of Research, Strategy & innovation@EHF, an experienced health promotion and public health practitioner with a long‑standing commitment to community‑led change, and reflects years of trust‑building, careful planning, and collective support from colleagues.
The service, Bayoot Saeedah, meaning "Happy Homes", takes its name from an Arabic term also widely understood in Urdu. The name symbolises safety, warmth, emotional well-being, and the Home's central role in nurturing thriving families. Bayoot Saeedah is rooted in the belief that emotionally supported parents raise healthier, more resilient children, and that every family, regardless of background, deserves this foundation.
As part of the VCSE sector, we recognise our unique role in bridging gaps between communities and statutory services. Happy Home works collaboratively with primary care, maternity services, mental health providers, and other relevant agencies to ensure families receive joined‑up, compassionate care.
