Supporting Migrant Mothers: Healing Through Community Circles

So often the universe provides! We at the Magpie Project are perpetually worried about the cumulative harms visited on mothers and their children from ante-natal experiences, through births, and then establishing bonds of parenting and nurture.

We worry that the realities of destitution, the hostile immigration environment, barriers to services, and overwhelm affect the brains and bodies of our smallest community members from before birth through their first and most formative years.

For this reason we collaborated with Alternatives Trust and the NCT to help create the wonderful and award winning Newham Nurture project that concentrates on supporting migrant mothers during pregnancy and for baby’s first two years of life.

Having said that, we were still finding mothers who were struggling to create and maintain a positive and consistent bond with their baby amid unresolved birth trauma, social isolation, destitution and unsuitable housing.

We needed a special, supportive space to listen, share, and witness our women’s sense of love, loss, homesickness – and to create community and care at this crucial moment.

Enter an email out of the blue from the wonderful Anna Caffrey. She is a lecturer in public health at UEL. She is a qualified midwife who has worked on the Mexico/US border with women giving birth in some of the most traumatic situations – she is a mother, and an all-round wonderful human.

Anna was looking to walk alongside women who were experiencing exclusion – and understand, for her studies – how we could better meet their needs through their maternity journey.

After conversations that confirmed how aligned we were around warding off even the merest whiff of extractive practices in academia, and learning new ideas such as ‘ontological violence‘, we embarked on the gentlest, most easy-access project imaginable.

Here’s what happened

Numbers

Anna facilitated 12 listening circles between September 2024 and 2025.
The average number of mums was 5 (rounded to the closest whole number).
The total number of participations was 53
Total unique number of mums who participated was 30.
The largest number of repeat involvment by one mother was 6 (that mum then graduated out of the Magpie Project through gaining her immigration status).

What we learned

Magpie mums asked for a space to share their experiences of pregnancy, birth and postpartum, which they ended up naming Friendship Circles.

The circles became spaces of catharsis, mutual support and solidarity – for examples mums offered each others strategies on how to best recover from birth while navigating unique challenges around living in asylum accommodation with little support.

Anna uncovered a large gap between settled population c-section rates and the rates Magpie mums report (about 20% higher) and a very high incidence of hyperemesis gravidarum (dangerous levels of vomiting in pregnancy, possibly due to stress and poor food in accommodation).

Mums reported feeling good participating in both the group and the research. The group felt relaxing and good for mental health, whereas the research felt like an opportunity to share their stories

Next steps

At circle-members request Anna written up Mums’ stories and started using them to train doctors, midwives, nurses and clinical students to improve awareness, empathy and clinical practice (40 trained so far). The mums would like the circles to continue and they have (without data collection), although with less frequency.

Anna would now like to train another 1-2 people to facilitate these circles more regularly so that between everyone there is more frequency, and also look at a special circle for Albanian mums if interested as they were a group who did not participate, a shortcoming of the research.

Can you be involved? Can you fund this incredible innovation? Get in touch!

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Account number	A 10-12 digit number given to your bank account. You can find your account number on your online banking page or on bank statements.
Card Number	A 16-digit number with that is found on the front of your debit/credit card.
Credit Card	A credit card doesn’t spend your money. It spends the bank’s money and you must pay it back. This means you can spend more than is in your account, but you might be charged extra for doing this, especially if you are late paying the bank.
Credit Score	A number that records how likely you are to repay your debts. High credit scores are better as it means financial products such as overdrafts and credit cards cost less.
Debit Card	A debit card is a card that lets you take out money from ATMs and make payments in stores or online from your account.
Financial Service Compensation Scheme (FSCS)	An organisation set up to protect the money you put in bank accounts. If you have a current or basic account, the FSCS will pay you up to £85,000 if your bank goes bankrupt.
National Insurance Number (NI)	The number makes sure that the National Insurance contributions and tax you pay are properly recorded on your account. It also acts as a reference number for the whole social security system.
Overdraft	An amount of money you can spend even when you have no money in your account. It is like a small loan from your bank. Overdrafts are often not free, so you need to be very aware what the costs are before using one.
Personal Identification Number (PIN)	A PIN is a 4-digit number that is given to you with a debit card. This is used when taking out money from ATMs or when making in-store purchases with your card. Never share your PIN with anyone as it could be used to commit fraud.
Security Code	A 3-4 digit number found on the back of your debit/credit card in the signature section. This number will be required for nearly all online payments. The code provides an extra layer of security to safeguard you from fraud.
Sort Code	A 6-digit number that is used to identify your bank. You can find your sort code on your online banking platform, on bank statements or on your debit card.
Standing Order	When a fixed amount that you choose is paid from your account to another person or organisation. This is different from the direct debit as the amount that is paid is the same each time.

Saves time – you don’t need to remember to pay a bill.	You need to make sure there is enough money in your account when the direct debit or standing order will be taken. If there is not enough money, you could be charged extra by the bank.
You will get money back for any incorrect payments for direct debits only.	You must remember to cancel standing orders when you want to stop paying someone regularly.
You can cancel a direct debit or a standing order at any time through your online banking account or by contacting your bank.	Sometimes you might think you are setting up a direct debit, but it is actually a recurring payment or continuous payment authority (CPA). Be careful if companies ask for the long number on your card instead of your sort code and account number. This will mean they can take money whenever they think they are owed.

Saves Time	Make sure there is enough money in your account when the direct debit or standing order will be taken. If there is not enough money, you could be charged extra by the bank.
You don’t need to remember to pay a bill	You must remember to cancel standing orders when you want to stop paying someone regularly.
You will get money back for any incorrect payments for direct debits only.	Sometimes you might think you are setting up a direct debit, but it is actually a recurring payment or continuous payment authority (CPA). Be careful if companies ask for the long number on your card instead of your sort code and account number. This will mean they can take money whenever they think they are owed.
You can cancel a direct debit or a standing order at any time through your online banking account or by contacting your bank.


Magpie Mums say: “Always use direct debits if you can, so you don’t forget to pay and are charged. If you can’t use direct debits, make sure you put the dates when you’re supposed to make payments in your phone calendar.” “I’m used to it. It’s easy on the phone. I try to avoid going to banks.”

Bank Examples	Forms of Identity Needed
Metro Bank	Asylum seekers can apply for a cash account and/or savings account. This requires an Application Registration Card (ARC), proof of address and confirmation of asylum seekers support allowance or other income.
Lloyds	You can apply for a Classic Current account with a BRP, ARC or a Home Office Immigration Status document. Refugees and asylum seekers can apply for a ‘Classic current account’. This includes an arranged overdraft. Fees are charged if you go into your overdraft.
Nationwide	You can get a ‘FlexBasic account’ (basic bank account) and an ‘Instant Access saver’ (basic savings account). They accept BRP, ARC and Home Office Immigration Status document.
HSBC	You cannot open a bank account if you are from outside the EU. They accept BRP but NOT ARC. They accept BRP but NOT ARC.
Monzo	Refugees can open a current account with a BRP and their UK address. However, Monzo do not accept ARC. You can get your benefits or salary (depending on your employer) paid into your Monzo account 1 day earlier.

Maternity Listening Circles

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Maternity Listening Circles

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