When pregnant women feel isolated, they can miss out on vital health support — not only for themselves, but for their babies too.
In Bradford District and Craven, we are listening carefully to what women tell us they need during pregnancy and early parenthood. By understanding the different cultures, traditions and concerns across our communities, we can design services that truly work for local families. This community-led approach sits at the heart of the Maternity Circles project.
Working together to support the first 1,001 days
For the past 18 months, Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership has worked closely with maternity services, community organisations and the voluntary and community sector (VCS) to support women and families during the crucial 1,001 days — from conception through pregnancy and into infancy.
Funded through the Core20PLUS5 programme, Maternity Circles focus on supporting people and communities in areas of the district that need it most.
Pregnancy and early parenthood can be a vulnerable time for women and families. Evidence shows that women and babies living in areas of deprivation face a significantly higher risk of poor outcomes — and addressing this inequality is a priority.
Where inequalities play a role
Maternity outcomes across the UK remain a major concern. National data shows that:
- Black women are more than twice as likely to die during or after pregnancy compared with White women
- Black and Asian women experience consistently poorer outcomes and inequalities in maternity care
In Bradford District and Craven, these challenges are particularly acute:
- Infant mortality rates in some deprived areas are higher than the national average
- Many women are not registering their pregnancy until after 10 weeks, missing vital checks and tests
- Vaccine hesitancy remains prominent in some communities
Bradford is proud of its diversity and status as a City of Sanctuary, welcoming people from around the world. However, this also means additional challenges. Bradford has a significantly higher proportion of Black and Black British women who have lived in the UK for less than five years — 29.4% compared to the England average of 12.7%. Asylum-seeking and refugee women face particular barriers when accessing maternity care.
Local data shows:
- 21.5% of Black or Black British women had not booked their pregnancy with a GP by 18 weeks, compared with 7.4% of White British women
- 19.1% of pregnancies among Black or Black British women resulted in an emergency caesarean section, compared with 11% among White British women
- 15.3% of Black or Black British women were identified as having complex social factors at their first midwife appointment, compared with 9% of White British women and 6.5% of Asian or Asian British women
Listening to women: understanding the barriers
To better understand the barriers women face, the Health and Care Partnership engaged directly with communities through the Listen In project. This involved conversations with women in community groups and everyday public spaces — from markets and bus stations to libraries across the district.
Women told us that barriers to accessing maternity care included:
- The cost of living
- Loneliness and isolation
- Maternal mental health and wellbeing
- Lack of awareness about available support
- Language and literacy barriers
These insights directly shaped the development of Maternity Circles.
What action was taken? Introducing Maternity Circles
Maternity Circles were created to address these inequalities head-on. Free at the point of use, they offer support, advice and social connection for women and families throughout the first 1,001 days.
Circles are held in local venues within pram-pushing distance, helping to reduce isolation and encourage women to build supportive relationships within their own communities. Alongside peer support, families receive essential health information and are supported to access services such as:
- Parent education
- Infant feeding support
- Smoking cessation services
- Perinatal mental health support
The model was initially piloted in Ravenscliffe and Manningham, two communities with diverse needs, and has since expanded. Today 10 of the 13 community Partnerships have funded various VCS organisations to deliver Maternity Circles across Bradford District. Many of the Maternity Circles are delivered from local family hubs, which supports better referral pathways into services for pregnant women and new parents such as Best Start in Life.
Aliya Fazil, Reducing Inequalities Manager at Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership, said: “Maternity Circles are social networks designed to reduce isolation and increase support. We wanted to ensure women were not only welcomed into safe, supportive spaces, but also signposted to mental health support and able to access practitioners in a way that felt accessible and non-judgemental.
“Locating the circles within walking distance was crucial — encouraging activity, social connection and confidence, while raising awareness of local services.
“The project also supports wider aims such as reducing smoking rates and improving access to perinatal mental health services. We delivered the circles alongside our Help for you and baby campaign, which supports women to track important tests and checks.”
What difference has this made?
The impact of Maternity Circles has been significant:
- Over 1,000 women and families have taken part
- 46% of participants are from Black, Asian or minority ethnic communities
- Circles are delivered from 20+ locations, including five Family Hubs
- Maternity circles attend annual events with other 1001 days services such as Baby Week Bradford and open days at the maternity unit.
Women and families told us:
- “I feel much better knowing I’m not alone.”
- “Very reassuring to know there is so much help for parents in Bradford.”
- “It has been a lifesaver — the staff and group are amazing.”
- “It feels like a family environment where everyone is welcome.”
As part of the Core20PLUS5 programme, inverting power to communities to deliver the maternity circles has had a positive impact on upskilling VCS organisations in public health messaging on supporting pregnant people and parents. Facilitators working with pregnant women, dads and carers have completed training in:
- Trauma informed practice (ATR)
- Preconception
- Vaccinations in pregnancy
- Safer Sleeping
- ICON
- Infant Feeding
- Perinatal Mental health, Little Minds Matter and Ready to Relate (Bradford Offer)
The VCS has also shared campaigns within their Maternity Circles and wider communities as part of their wellbeing offers, such as:
- ‘’speak to a midwife’’ to improve Booking rates at 10 weeks WY campaign Communication resources :: West Yorkshire Health & Care Partnership
- ‘’pregnancy and alcohol’’ Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder resources :: West Yorkshire Health & Care Partnership
- Bradford Video ‘’Maternal Health and Substance Use: Real-Life Perspectives’’ Maternal Health and Substance Use: Real-Life Perspectives • Living Well Bradford
- ‘’Mums can’’ #MumsCan quit smoking :: West Yorkshire Health & Care Partnership
Part of a wider transformation
Maternity Circles support the local ambition to move more care into communities, reducing reliance on hospital services and providing early, preventative support closer to home. They directly contribute to the Core20PLUS5 national framework, which aims to reduce health inequalities among the most vulnerable populations.
Through a new ‘early intervention midwife’ role, we are able to offer community antenatal and parent education within the maternity circles and family hubs over 2025-26. This information is offered in a culturally appropriate manner with access to interpreters and resources in various languages.
About Core20PLUS5
Core20PLUS5 is part of NHS England’s national strategy to tackle health inequalities. Locally, it is led by the Reducing Inequalities Alliance and supports innovative, community-led projects that deliver meaningful change for those who need it most.
You can view more inequality action stories from our workforce on our website.
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