Family support charity secures LoveBrum funding

A family support charity which provides support to mothers and families affected by depression or anxiety during their pregnancy, or in the postnatal period, has been awarded £2,000 by LoveBrum after winning the monthly members’ vote.

Acacia Family Support was established in Birmingham 15 years ago by two local mothers who had experienced postnatal depression and found that there was a lack of specialist support available.

Each year, Acacia supports over 500 families across Birmingham.

It offers a range of different support services to the whole family from four centres across Birmingham (Sutton Coldfield, Saltley, Kingstanding and Northfield), including individual befriending, group work, home visits, telephone support, as well as having three specialist projects that support fathers, teenage parents and mothers from minority ethnic backgrounds.

Each centre also has its own on site creche.

Acacia Family Support is a user led service. The majority of their services are delivered by a team of over 40 volunteers. 60% of these volunteers and 70% of the staff team have experienced PND or other mental health issues themselves.

The £2,000 LoveBrum funding will help to provide equipment to be used in the Young Parents Group.

This will include an empathy belly, so that family members can understand what the mother-to-be is going through, a resuscitation doll, so that staff and young parents can be taught emergency infant first aid. They will also organise a day trip for the young parents group.

The work of other projects highlighted by LoveBrum in May included Stepping Stones Global, which works to boost the confidence of adults who experience anxiety, depression and other mental health issues, and Cedar Counselling which was founded in 2011 by three therapists whose main aim was to bridge the gap between statutory and private services, so that people could receive the help they needed faster.