Birmingham Healthy Minds is an NHS psychological therapies service for people with depression and anxiety symptoms. To access the service you must be over the age of 16 and registered with a Birmingham GP. The service can offer you a variety of treatments depending on your needs, for example cognitive behavioural therapy, mindfulness and interpersonal therapy.

Birmingham Healthy Minds - Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (bsmhft.nhs.uk)

The Compassionate Mind Foundation was founded as an international charity in 2006 by Professor Paul Gilbert. They believe that one of the greatest challenges facing humanity is how to stimulate compassionate ways of thinking and problem solving for the benefit of all.

The Compassionate Mind Foundation promotes an evolutionary and bio-psycho-social informed approach to compassion which now forms the basis of a psychotherapy (CFT) and Compassionate Mind Training.

They provide workshops, conferences, and a number of different resources for clinicians and individuals to support their work and personal practice, and facilitate the open discussion on how to promote compassionate motives and behaviours across all domains.

Forward Thinking Birmingham is a mental health service for 0-25 year olds, a partnership of organisations that have come together to support children, young people and families. If you would like to make a crisis referral, please call 0300 300 0099. If you would like to make a general referral, please visit Secure Referral Forms by RIVIAM Digital Care (forwardthinkingbirmingham.nhs.uk) 

The Maternal Mental Health Service (MMHS) supports women, their partners and families living in Birmingham and Solihull who have experienced perinatal loss and have associated mental health difficulties.The service works alongside other health professionals to ensure the women and birthing people are given the best support possible. Those who have experienced perinatal loss have worked with maternity colleagues to develop the service which offers an open and supportive space.

Maternal Mental Health Service :: Birmingham and Solihull ICS (birminghamsolihullics.org.uk)

The aims of the Perinatal Mental Health Service include:

• To provide a safe, high quality, family friendly, mental health service – including assessment, treatment and care – for women suffering from psychiatric disorders associated with pregnancy and childbirth.
• To provide support and information to the families of the women under the care of the services
• To provide consultancy, advice, support and an educational resource to professionals and services who provide care to families experiencing such difficulties.
• To work in partnership with local authority social services and family teams to protect children who may be vulnerable as a consequence of their mother’s illness.

The service provides:

• Comprehensive psychiatric assessment and treatment (preconception, antenatally and postnatally).
• Advice on, and monitoring of, evidence based medication.
• Conjoint inpatient admission for women and their babies (under one year-old), for new mothers experiencing severe mental illness.
• Comprehensive, multidisciplinary inpatient assessment and treatment.
• Psychological assessment and evidence based psychological treatment and counselling for inpatient and outpatients.
• Time-limited, symptom-focused, psycho-educational group work and therapeutic groups for mothers with moderate mental health problems not requiring inpatient treatment.
• Occupational therapy assessment (inpatients only) and support including assessment and development of activities of daily living. Community nursing assessment and support.
• Facilitation of mother infant interaction through bonding interventions and nursery nurse support.
• Advice and support to other mental health services and social services

Find out more about the team and how to access their services at: Perinatal mental health service - Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (bsmhft.nhs.uk)

Acacia Family Support can help if you are experiencing pre or post natal depression and offer a range of free services including peer led listening and befriending support to families across Birmingham experiencing pre and postnatal depression/anxiety.

Find out more: Acacia Family Support | Prenatal Depression and Postnatal Depression Support Services | Birmingham

As one of the busiest maternity departments in the UK, Birmingham Women's Hospital welcome over 8,000 babies into the world each year. You can find out more about maternity services, key contact details and how to plan your visit here: Maternity services at Birmingham Children's Hospital | Birmingham Women's and Children's (bwc.nhs.uk)

Health visitors are nurses or midwives who work with families to give pre-school-age children healthy lifestyles and prevent illness

Support is given to families as required and contact is maintained through mandated visits during the first two years of life. The role also involves multi-disciplinary work with GP’s, assistant practitioners, social workers, midwives, children’s centre staff and others as required.

You can find out about antenatal and new baby activities, parenting programmes, home visits, support with feeding and groups for Dads through Birmingham Forward Steps here: Health Visiting Teams – Birmingham Forward Steps (bhamforwardsteps.co.uk)

Our Local Maternity and Neonatal System (LMNS) works to ensure that every baby has the best possible start to life.

You can find lots of information about the support available to new parents in Birmingham and Solihull, including pelvic health support, infant feeding and mental health here: Local Maternity and Neonatal System :: Birmingham and Solihull ICS (birminghamsolihullics.org.uk)

Umbrella Health provides free sexual health services for people in Birmingham and Solihull, including contraception, STI's, HIV testing, walk-in clinics, pregnancy testing, termination advice and psychosexual services.

You can find out more about services available and where to get help here: Umbrella Health

Respect is here to support men experiencing domestic abuse. If you want to talk to someone, you can speak to their friendly and professional advisors on the phone, by email or on webchat. No pressure, no judgement, just help.

Domestic Abuse Helpline for Men | Men's Advice Line UK (mensadviceline.org.uk)

From being accepted to comforting and understanding your baby, here are 25 things your baby would want you to know!

The parenting app Baby Buddy has been created to support parents, co-parents and caregivers, and to back up frontline practitioners’ work and communication. Baby Buddy provides trusted, evidence-based information and self-care tools, based on the latest research and is NHS-approved. 

Baby Buddy aims to empower parents and care-givers to build their knowledge and confidence for the crucial first five years of their child’s life, when foundations are laid. 

Baby Buddy has:  

• Fun, engaging interactive features to ‘learn without the burn’
• A huge video library – including tips on breastfeeding and the Small Wonders Change Programme for premature and low birthweight babies 
• Out of the Blue – videos promoting mental health 
• Support and advice particularly tailored to dads 
• ‘Today’s information’ - personalised, bite-size daily updates  
• Much more! 

You can find out more about the app here or download it from Google Play or Apple Store.

The New Growth Project is a therapeutic support service for care experienced people who are pregnant. They can offer support throughout your pregnancy and after your baby is born, helping you to feel safe and connected to those who can help. You will not be judged and will be supported throughout your journey. 

You can find more information about support available and how to access this service here.