OnePlusOne welcomes the appointment of Michelle Welsh MP as the government’s first Maternity Adviser.
The creation of this role suggests there is a growing recognition of the need to strengthen support for families during pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood. We hope that the government will seize this opportunity to ensure early relationship support is available to new and expecting parents. Helping families to build a stable foundation is essential to equip them to cope with the challenges of parenthood.
The transition to parenthood is a significant period in a family’s life. Alongside anticipation and joy, it can often be a stressful time , and evidence shows that couple relationship satisfaction often declines during this period. This can affect parental wellbeing, parenting ability, and child development, so it’s an essential area to consider when looking at how parents can best be supported by maternity services.
The quality of parental relationships has a profound impact on outcomes for babies and children, affecting attachment, emotional regulation, language development, and social functioning later in life. As part of its commitment to securing the best possible start in life for children, the government must recognise the significant role parental relationships play in health, development, and future life chances.
Research shows that the most positive outcomes for families can be achieved when couple relationships are supported alongside parenting. Early intervention can help parents to communicate more effectively, manage conflict, strengthen coping skills, and build resilience. Maternity services are ideally placed to identify new and expecting parents who may need extra support, and help them to access the services they need.
Through OnePlusOne’s Me, You and Baby Too digital course for parents, we have seen how evidence-based, targeted relationship support during the transition to parenthood can improve relationship satisfaction, reduce conflict, and help families to thrive. We have written to Michelle Welsh MP to urge her to consider ways in which parental relationship support can be embedded into improved maternity care services, and offered to share our evidence and insights.
