Community Corner

Proud 2 b Parents - Our regular spotlight on a grassroots VCSE organisation in the perinatal mental health sector

What is the name of your organisation and when did you set up?

Proud 2 b Parents was set up in 2012 as a Community Interest Company but we existed as an informal group since 2007.

Where are you based?

Greater Manchester.

What services do you offer and who do you support?

Support services for LGBT+ parents/ carers and their children.

What prompted you to set up in the first place?

The need to ensure there were services available for LGBT+ families across the region.

Do you run or plan to develop any services that reflect specific needs within your community?   

Yes – all of our services are shaped around the very specific needs of LGBT+ parents, carers, and their children. We run play sessions, family days, support groups, and training opportunities that create safe, affirming spaces where families feel seen and celebrated. We also provide consultancy and training for professionals so they can better understand and meet the needs of our community. Looking ahead, we’re developing more early intervention and trauma-informed support to address the barriers LGBT+ families face in areas like perinatal mental health, adoption, fostering, and wider health inequalities.

What do you find most rewarding about running your organisation?   

The most rewarding aspect is seeing LGBT+ parents and carers, and their children, feel a sense of belonging and joy. For many families, our groups are the first time they’ve been surrounded by other families like theirs. Watching children grow up in spaces where their family structure is normalised and celebrated is powerful. It’s also hugely rewarding to see professionals shift their practice after our training and recognise the gaps in how LGBT+ families have historically been excluded.

What have you found to be the benefits of being involved in the Hearts & Minds community?

Being part of Hearts and Minds has helped us connect with like-minded organisations, share good practice, and avoid working in silos. It has given us the opportunity to raise awareness of LGBT+ families’ specific needs within a wider perinatal and family support context, and to be part of a collaborative approach to tackling inequalities.

If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice when starting up, what would it be?

To trust the process and not be afraid to take up space. At the beginning, we often felt like we had to justify why LGBT+ families deserved tailored support. Over the years, it’s become clear that our community has unique needs, and that our lived experience is a strength, not something to downplay.

If money and resources were no issue and you could wave a magic wand, what might you change about your service?

We would expand our reach so that every LGBT+ parent and carer across Greater Manchester and beyond had access to affirming support from pregnancy through to young adulthood. That would include a permanent family centre, wraparound perinatal mental health support, housing and benefits advocacy, and a national training hub for professionals. Essentially, we’d remove the postcode lottery and ensure no family was left isolated.

Is there anything about your service that makes it stand out from the crowd or offers something a little bit different?

Yes – we are led by LGBT+ parents and carers, for LGBT+ parents and carers. That lived experience sits at the heart of everything we do. Families know that when they come to us, they don’t need to explain or justify their family makeup. Our combination of direct services for families, alongside professional training and strategic advocacy, also makes us unique – we work at community, local authority, and national levels to create change

What keeps you going when things get tough?

Our families. Hearing from a parent that their child has made a new friend, or that they finally feel less isolated, reminds us why this work matters. The community itself keeps us resilient, as do the allies and organisations who are now joining us in creating change.

What issues do you feel are currently most important to address within our sector?

Tackling health inequalities for marginalised parents and carers. Embedding trauma-informed and inclusive practice into perinatal and family services. Ensuring that lived experience is not tokenised but meaningfully included in service design. Addressing the ongoing mental health challenges that isolation and discrimination create for LGBT+ parents/carers.

Thank you to Matt for sharing these insights on behalf of Proud 2 b Parents. You can find out more about the organisation by visiting https://www.proud2bparents.co.uk/about or contacting info@proud2bparents.co.uk or 07843913001