We are always championing and amplifying the voices of our community

On Monday 16th of March, we were invited to hold a parliamentary event at Portcullis House, bringing the voices and experiences of military families directly into the heart of government. Too often, the realities of military family life happen quietly in the background of defence policy. Relocations, deployments, disrupted careers, childcare challenges, isolation, and the mental load of holding families together through service life.

This event created space for those realities to be heard.

Through conversations with Members of Parliament and policymakers, we shared the lived experiences of military families and highlighted why families must be centred in decisions that shape the Armed Forces. Because behind every serving person is a family navigating the impact of service too. We’re incredibly grateful to have been entrusted with the lived experiences shared with us through peer support and for the opportunity to bring these conversations into Parliament - and to continue pushing for systems that better reflect the realities of modern military family life.

On the 4th of March 2026 representatives of the National Maternity and Neonatal Collective, 101 organisations and contributors, came together at the heart of government to push for safer, equitable maternity and neonatal care. 

The Collective presented its findings to the Secretary of State for Health and Baroness Amos: a plan grounded in the principle

“By us. With us. For us.”

For almost nine months, the Collective has drawn on lived, learned, clinical, peer, community, research, and professional experience to shape priorities and recommendations for real change. The impact was not just in the recommendations. It was in how they were developed. Inclusively. Collaboratively. With no hierarchy of expertise. Every voice mattered. From our perspective, this process enabled us to share the realities many military families have brought to us through peer support. Practical, emotional, and systemic experiences that must be baked into change from the start, not added on afterwards. Addressing these unique needs, alongside other marginalised experiences, creates a “curb-cut effect”, improving care and access for all families. Every contribution, from baby loss to perinatal mental health, equity, and anti-racism, added weight and depth. Witnessing this passionate, unified advocacy has been inspiring. It gives real hope that meaningful change is possible.

We were honoured to be invited to attend the ‘March for Mothers’ event at Parliament - a powerful gathering of voices from across the maternal mental health sector, including Laura Kyrke-Smith MP, the organisers of World Maternal Mental Health Day, Sport in Mind, and fellow members of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance.

To be welcomed into this space; to stand alongside national advocates and change makers, felt like such a significant moment for us and for the families we support. For a long time, it hasn’t always felt like military-connected mothers were being listened to. Our experiences were often overlooked or misunderstood. So to now be included in these conversations at a national level, and to feel genuinely heard, is not only validating, but, feels personally very healing.

This wasn’t just a seat at the table, it was a sign that military-connected mother’s voices matter, and that real momentum is building. We’re proud to be part of it.

To stand side by side at such a meaningful event is something we’ll never forget.