We are looking for enthusiastic volunteers to join us as Best Start Mentors to support pregnant women and new families
in City and Hackney.
Best Start Mentors will support families across a number of topics including maternal health and babies’ development and will identify support services within the City and Hackney community. You will be paired on a 1-to-1 basis with pregnant women and new families.
● The Best Start Mentoring Service is being commissioned by the
City and Hackney Public Health Teams and the North East London NHS ICB.
● This is a new service which aims to build confidence, independence
and relationship building between networks, address equality of access to local pregnancy and wider support services for socially vulnerable pregnant women and new families.
● The service will be run alongside the 0-5 Healthy Families parenting support we currently provide:
- Community based peer mentoring, and health outreach support in pregnancy up to the first 1001 days in life.
- Opportunities for additional support through peer-based mentoring during pregnancy in the City and Hackney
- Peer mentor volunteers will be recruited to support maternal health knowledge and behaviours on a 1-to-1 basis
- Phone line, signposting and providing support with navigating supportive services within the local communities
● The service will provide emotional, social and informational support to families
● Key messages relating to support in areas such as healthy weight, oral health and smoking cessation
● It will support families in accessing other services through in person, phone and or other support
● Families who are eligible for this service will be experiencing complex social factors
● Pregnant women must be living in City/Hackney or have their GP registered in the borough