Evidence browser
Explore the evidence
Loading the evidence…
The Association of Mental Health Providers’ evidence observatory
Evidence browser
Loading the evidence…
Evidence browser
35,847 claims
The support provided by the charity aims to make women feel safer, less alone, and more confident in their decisions about care.
Through our work in 2025, women, babies, families and communities were supported to: feel safer and less alone during pregnancy, birth and early motherhood
Service · Observational claim · From Neighbourhood Doulas CIO — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 30
The charity's programmes supported a significant increase in the number of women and birthing people, with a 27% growth from 2024 to 2025.
Total Service Engagements 462 587 women supported (+27%)
Metric · Trend statement · From Neighbourhood Doulas CIO — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 28
The Nurture to Birthwork programme, starting in October 2026, aims to provide free doula training and mentoring for women facing barriers to work.
Nurture to Birthwork extends our support into skills, opportunity and employment. The programme will offer free doula training, mentoring and supervised practice to former service users and other women who face barriers to work.
Service · Policy statement · From Neighbourhood Doulas CIO — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 26
The programme provides practical support such as baby clothes, nappies, transport, food, and interpretation to ease immediate pressures for pregnant women.
Where resources are available, we help with mother and baby essentials, food, transport, interpreters, signposting and safer discharge arrangements.
Service · Observational claim · From Neighbourhood Doulas CIO — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 25
The Healthy Lifestyles Perinatal Programme supports pregnant women to improve their physical and emotional wellbeing through sustainable lifestyle changes.
Our six-week programme gives pregnant women space to explore physical and emotional wellbeing, health knowledge and practical habits for pregnancy and beyond.
Service · Observational claim · From Neighbourhood Doulas CIO — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 24
Postnatal support is provided to help women recover and adjust after giving birth.
Care continues after the baby is born. We offer reassurance, practical help and connection as women recover, adjust to early parenting and begin building a relationship with their baby
Service · Procedural statement · From Neighbourhood Doulas CIO — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 22
Birth Education & Advocacy classes help women understand their rights and choices during childbirth.
Our Birth Education & Advocacy classes help women understand birth, their rights and the choices available to them
Service · Procedural statement · From Neighbourhood Doulas CIO — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 20
Gentle Beginnings provides one-to-one doula support to women during pregnancy, birth and early motherhood.
Gentle Beginnings offers trusted one-to-one doula support through pregnancy, birth and early motherhood
Service · Procedural statement · From Neighbourhood Doulas CIO — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 19
The majority of referrals to Neighbourhood Doulas in 2025 came from NHS safeguarding midwives.
Around 98% of our referrals in 2025 came from NHS safeguarding midwives
Commissioning · Observational claim · From Neighbourhood Doulas CIO — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 18
Women face multiple challenges during pregnancy including poverty, homelessness, domestic abuse, trauma, insecure immigration status, language barriers, poor mental health and care experience.
Women face pregnancy alongside poverty, homelessness, domestic abuse, trauma, insecure immigration status, language barriers, poor mental health and care experience
Context · Observational claim · From Neighbourhood Doulas CIO — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 17
The organisation's approach includes bilingual communication to help women access care and express their needs.
Bilingual advocates, interpreters, multilingual resources and culturally sensitive support help women ask questions and communicate with greater confidence.
Service · Policy statement · From Neighbourhood Doulas CIO — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 15
The organisation's leadership is informed by lived experience of inequalities affecting the women they support.
Almost all members of our staff team, board and advisory panel have personal experience of inequalities affecting the women we support. Collectively, this includes migration, racism, poverty, temporary accommodation, lone parenting, domestic abuse, trauma and unequal maternity care.
Governance · Policy statement · From Neighbourhood Doulas CIO — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 14
The organisation's approach includes practical assistance, dependable relationships, and respect for women’s decisions.
Our work responds to the challenges women face while recognising their strengths, resourcefulness and right to shape their own lives. We take time to understand what each woman needs and what she wants for herself and her baby.
Service · Policy statement · From Neighbourhood Doulas CIO — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 12
Black women in England faced a maternal mortality rate 2.72 times higher than White women between 2022 and 2024.
MBRRACE-UK’s September 2026 update shows that, in England in 2022 to 2024, Black women had a maternal mortality rate 2.72 times that of White women.
Context · Observational claim · From Neighbourhood Doulas CIO — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 12
The organisation supports more than 450 women and babies in 2025, including those facing multiple disadvantages.
In 2025, our wider services supported more than 450 women and babies , including 112 women experiencing domestic violence, 53 asylum-seeking or refugee women and 39 with care experience.
Service · Observational claim · From Neighbourhood Doulas CIO — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 11
The charity's work includes health advocacy and wellbeing initiatives to address barriers faced by Black, Asian, and minoritised ethnic communities in accessing healthcare.
Our health advocacy and wellbeing work responded to the barriers that can keep Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities from accessing and shaping healthcare
Service · Policy statement · From Neighbourhood Doulas CIO — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 7
Neighbourhood Doulas aims to protect the depth and quality of support as it develops by strengthening funding, partnerships, and organisational systems.
Our priority is to protect the depth and quality of support as the charity develops. This means strengthening our funding, partnerships and organisational systems
Strategic · Commitment statement · From Neighbourhood Doulas CIO — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 7
The charity's income in 2025 was £164,282 and expenditure was £143,645, resulting in a net income of £20,637.
This year’s recognised income of £164,282 and expenditure of £143,645 left net income of £20,637
Financial · Funding statement · From Neighbourhood Doulas CIO — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 5
In 2025, Neighbourhood Doulas provided various services to women including Gentle Beginnings, Birth Education and Advocacy, direct labour and birth support, and postnatal support.
In 2025, 185 women received Gentle Beginnings support, 231 attended Birth Education and Advocacy classes, 79 received direct support during labour and birth, and 92 received postnatal support.
Service · Observational claim · From Neighbourhood Doulas CIO — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 5
No woman should face pregnancy or birth alone due to homelessness, abuse, poverty, or isolation.
Our founding conviction is simple: no woman should face pregnancy or birth alone because she is homeless, experiencing violence or poverty, or separated from family and community.
Policy · Policy statement · From Neighbourhood Doulas CIO — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 5