Self-help videos for new parents parents made by Portsmouth parents.

Co-production has been at the heart of a Families in Mind project, seeing it bring over 30 parents together to shape meaningful parenting and mental health tools for other parents.

The Families in Mind team, an NHS-based support service help parents in the transition to parenthood with their emotional wellbeing have launched two new series of videos which were co-created with Portsmouth parents.

The project involved four collaborative workshops at Milton Park Family Hub which saw over 30 parents attend with their little ones to share their experiences and opinions as parents. The resources are the result of powerful co-production between Portsmouth City Council, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (HIOWH) and local parents.

Charlotte Gatehouse, Specialist Community Public Health Nurse for Perinatal and Infant Mental Health and Start for Life Lead at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare and NHS Foundation Trust said: “By involving real parents from across Portsmouth mums, dads, carers, and expectant parents we’ve developed tools that speak honestly to the everyday challenges families face.”

When the project began in summer 2024, the Families in Mind team had no other objective than to create resources that families needed based on their experiences. This meant the workshops had a loose agenda and created a space for open discussion and shared learnings between parents and professionals.

One workshop attendee said: The Families in Mind focus group was very insightful; it was great to speak to families in such a casual but professional way, and I loved the way that Hannah and Emma ran the event. The parents were so engaged, and I really feel that is because of the way that Hannah and Emma facilitated this. They created a safe space where the families felt truly listened to and I could see that they also believe that there is such a positive change in the services locally. You all do such an amazing job!

Each workshop had parents of different backgrounds, ethnicities, and ages including dads, carers and expectant parents. This variety opened great conversations around the type of resources they would consume, key topics they research, where they go for help, and even review the final content to ensure it felt authentic and non-judgmental.

These conversations led to the development of two series:

• Getting to Know Your Baby, which offers evidence-based advice around your baby’s cues.
• Stress Busting which offers simple self-care tips like grounding, organisation and breathing techniques for parents to practice at home.

All videos have a matching downloadable postcard that can be pinned to a fridge or cupboard for easy-to-follow reminders throughout their day.

Hannah, Public Health Communications Officer at Portsmouth City Council said: The workshops were so much fun and insightful. The outcome is something we did not expect and that is the beauty of true co-production. Both series, although created by the same audience, are different. Portsmouth parents wanted that professional element to the videos offering practical advice around their baby’s cues, and a more human, relatable style of video for the stress busting series.

The videos can be found: www.mentalhealthinportsmouth.co.uk/newparents

Direct links:

• Getting to know your baby www.mentalhealthinportsmouth.co.uk/self-help/support-for-parents-and-carers/support-during-pregnancy-and-after-having-a-baby/getting-to-know-your-baby/
• Tips for new parents www.mentalhealthinportsmouth.co.uk/self-help/support-for-parents-and-carers/support-during-pregnancy-and-after-having-a-baby/tips-for-expectant-and-new-parents/

Accessing support

Visit the Families in Mind webpage and complete the online self-referral form. A member of the team will contact you within two weeks to discuss your referral and how they can support you.

Please note – you must be registered and logged into Family Assist to access the form.

You can also contact your Midwife, Family Hub Champion, Mental Health Nurse or the Families in Mind Team who can also help support you with a referral to the service.

Alternatively, you can call the Portsmouth Mental Health Hub on 0300 123 6621 8am-6pm (Mon-Fri) to find the right mental health or community support for you.