West Yorkshire maternal mental health service takes Paths to Parliament for Black Maternal Mental Health Week UK
Team members from our Paths – West Yorkshire maternal mental health service are set to attend a landmark event at the Houses of Parliament to mark Black Maternal Mental Health Week UK.
Dr Estelle Verdi, principal counselling psychologist and service lead for Paths, and Rebecca Thomas, lead specialist midwife, will join the event on 23 September 2025. Organised by The Motherhood Group, the event brings together Black mothers, clinicians, and policymakers to share lived experiences and clinical insights, with a focus on shaping policy and improving outcomes in maternal healthcare.
Black Maternal Mental Health Week UK is dedicated to raising awareness of the disparities faced by Black women during pregnancy and the postnatal period. By highlighting how lived experience and professional expertise combine, the campaign seeks to promote education, advocacy, and meaningful change in maternity and perinatal mental health services.
Speaking ahead of the event, Dr Estelle Verdi said: “We greatly value the opportunity to attend this important event. Listening directly to Black mothers’ experiences is vital if we are to address inequalities and make lasting improvements in maternal mental health care. We are committed to amplifying these voices and ensuring they inform both local practice and national policy.”
Rebecca Thomas said: “I’m not here to speak for Black women. I’m here to speak to my profession — to those of us working inside the system and to say clearly: the disparities in maternal mental health care are real, well-documented, and unjust. Black Maternal Mental Health Week provides a powerful platform for advocacy, education, and change – and we are proud to stand alongside women, families, and colleagues in this work.”
Estelle continued: “We would like to acknowledge and thank women who co-produced our inclusion toolkit with gratitude to the Black mothers who contributed their lived experience. Their insight has been invaluable in highlighting the importance of recognising family values and cultural traditions within the perinatal period.
“These contributions have drawn attention to the risk of isolation, especially for women who have recently moved to the UK or who are not able to access family support. In addition, the insights have focused us in recognition that systemic racism can affect Black women’s trust in maternity and mental health services, underlining the need for professionals to provide consistent, trauma-informed communication and care.”
Paths – West Yorkshire maternal mental health service remains dedicated to providing compassionate, accessible, and equitable care, working in partnership with communities aiming to ensure that all women and birthing people receive the support they need in relation to birth trauma, baby loss including those at risk of removal due to safeguarding procedures and severe fear of birth. Find out more about the team on their website.
