Best Start Peer Support
Touchstone is delighted to announce that we will be working with parents and carers in South and East Leeds over the next three years to deliver a brand new peer support service. Working in partnership with voluntary sector organisation Women’s Health Matters(WHM) and Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust’s Early Start Service, we will enable pregnant women and parents/carers of babies aged 0-2 to support each other. This South and East CCG funded programme, commissioned by Leeds City Council Public Health, will contribute to the achievement of the city’s Best Start strategy.
Working alongside parents and carers, we will develop a course to convey key health and wellbeing messages and also enable new parents/ carers to support each other, reducing isolation. From this we hope to recruit a host of volunteer Peer Supporters and pay some Peer Mentors to work with other parents/carers in the community.
Karen Marshall, who has a background in mental health and wellbeing, youth and community work, will be coordinating the service. The Best Start peer support service will develop links and connect with the Health Visiting services, build on WHMs excellence in supporting the most vulnerable women and on Touchstone’s growing volunteering and peer support work.
To contact Karen
Email: karenm@touchstonesupport.org.uk
Tel: 0113 271 8277
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