Black women face a higher risk of developing mental health problems during and after pregnancy, yet are less likely to receive the support they need. Mental health problems remain a leading cause of maternal deaths.
This briefing, Understanding local provision for Black maternal mental health, brings together responses from Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) in England on training and services commissioned to support Black mothers. It is part of the Black Maternal Mental Health project, a three-year project led by The Motherhood Group in partnership with Maternal Mental Health Alliance and Centre for Mental Health.
Based on Freedom of Information responses from 35 of England’s 36 ICBs, the briefing finds a patchwork system with inconsistent data, funding and support.
The vast majority of ICBs do not commission services specifically for Black maternal mental health, and five hold no information on such services. Most rely on general perinatal mental health services, and gaps in data mean it is impossible to say whether this provision meets Black mothers’ needs.
It also finds that many ICBs lack a full picture of the work taking place in their area, including training delivered by community organisations, making it very difficult to hold the NHS to account. Yet some ICBs are commissioning targeted services and working with community groups, showing that good practice exists.
The briefing calls on NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care to set clear national guidance on ICBs’ responsibility for commissioning, monitoring and evaluating culturally competent, trauma-informed services for Black mothers, coproduced with Black women and communities. It calls for routine, linked data collection on Black mothers’ perinatal mental health experiences and outcomes.
And it urges ICBs to invest sustainably in community-led provision, partnering with organisations trusted by Black mothers, and to learn from existing good practice including in delivering anti-racism and cultural competency training.
