Research on a group-based education programme for those who are pregnant and have just given birth
The challenge: Being a parent can be challenging, especially around the birth period. A strong parent-infant relationship is important for children’s socioemotional health, but not everyone can access the support they need to nuture this relationship.
What we’re doing about it
We are evaluating the use of Baby Steps, an intervention for pregnant parents and those who’ve just given birth. Baby Steps is a relationship-based parent education programme, mostly delivered in a group setting. It aims to help parents who may face challenges and ‘overload’ in pregnancy and early parenting, and originally was targeted towards those who more likely to be vulnerable or experience social exclusion.
Findings
Between November 2017 and June 2021, 832 women were referred to the Baby Steps project. Of these, 274 women were visited by the Baby Steps team and they agreed to take part in the programme. A total of 154 women fully completed the programme.
Future plans
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Baby Steps moved to delivering the programme online. It will also soon be offered to all expecting mums, rather than being targeted towards those who are thought to be vulnerable. We are currently running a study to assess how effective Baby Steps is for improving parent sensitivity and parent mental health.
Project summary written by Kate Mooney
the Better Start Bradford Innovation Hub 
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