VCSE Community
The Hearts and Minds Partnership is passionate about connecting, supporting and celebrating the VCSE (voluntary, community & social enterprise) sector in perinatal mental health.
Our core workstreams focus on:
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The ongoing growth of a digital map of England-wide VCSE services
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The creation of our Trusted Spaces to share learning, celebrate successes, talk about the challenging stuff and bring our community together
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The delivery of our online training, Smart Space, to support emerging and established VCSEs as they navigate sustainability and growth
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Throughout all aspects of our work, we aim to empower the development of a more inclusive, accessible and equitable approach to VCSE support.
We'd love for you to join us!
If you’d like to be featured on the map of quality VCSE services, then take a look at the self-assessment checklist.
Join our Trusted Spaces - both online and in-person. Together we share learning, celebrate successes, talk about the challenging stuff and bring our community together.
Smart Space - our online training platform in starting, growing and leading a perinatal mental health service in the VCSE sector. Includes an extensive 'Living Library' of resources
Find out all of our latest news and get invitations to our events: a quick and easy way of joining our community and benefiting from the warmth & wisdom of so many incredible VCSE leaders!
Get up-to-date with what's going on in the perinatal mental health sector by checking out our blog - including a regular 'Community Corner' post featuring some amazing organisations.
If you’re part of the VCSE perinatal mental health community and are inspired by continuous learning and sharing ideas, then check out our Spirit of the Partnership statement.
NB: We care about your data. Read how we protect your information in our Privacy Policy
What does it mean to be part of Hearts & Minds?
We’re not a membership organisation – we’re a community, made up of beautiful VCSEs of all shapes and sizes providing perinatal mental health services rooted in local communities. Getting involved with Hearts & Minds means you get access to your incredible peers - their wisdom, company and support. This sector is rich and diverse and we have so much to learn from each other!​
Do you have to be on the map to engage with Hearts & Minds?
While joining the map is one way to engage, you don’t have to be on it to be part of Hearts and Minds. You’re most welcome to join our Trusted Spaces, attend events and enrol on our free Smart Space online training simply by virtue of being a VCSE service in perinatal mental health.
Can more than one person from the same organisation sign up to H&M opportunities?
Yes! Multiple people from the same service can sign up to our newsletter and access our training. It doesn't matter if you're a volunteer, paid worker, manager or CEO - our spaces are for everyone. We sometimes place caps on events just to make sure there are plenty of places for people across the sector (but we will always make this really clear and tell you about it).
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If you want to feature on our map, only one person from your service needs to do this. However, if you have multiple locations, we can chat about multiple entries once you've applied. More info on how to apply here.
Do you have to be a mature and established service to get involved?
No. We are here to support grassroots perinatal mental health services no matter where they are on their growth journey. Everyone has to start somewhere and there are already lots of VCSEs in our community who are in their beginning stages. Similarly, there are organisations who are very well established and have been working in this space for years - plus everything in between! All VCSEs are welcome here.
Is there a cost to joining the Hearts & Minds community?
It is currently free to get involved in any of our workstreams - and that even includes our training! This is thanks to the funding we have in place at the moment. If this ever changes, you will be the first to know and you will have control over what you engage with.
How can you help the Hearts & Minds Partnership continue?
The best things you can do to help us continue our work are to:
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Tell your perinatal mental health peers and colleagues all about us and encourage them to do the same
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Contact us with your feedback and thoughts about what we're offering
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Spread the word in stakeholder spaces about what we do, particularly the online map for parents
What are the benefits of engaging with Hearts & Minds?
Connect
Be part of a thriving peer network of VCSE (voluntary, community & social enterprise) services in perinatal mental health, with the opportunity to meet colleagues in the sector and build valuable relationships. Not only does this combat the loneliness that sometimes comes with running a service, but it also gives a more coherent voice for our sector.
Support
Benefit from the support of a passionate, skilled community, all at different stages of growth. Join our Trusted Spaces (including our regular Conversation Space) to share learning and chat through the key issues affecting our sector. You can also support your own and your organisation’s development by enrolling on our online training, Smart Space. You can hear from peers in our community, who explore key topics about the reality of growing and sustaining a service via digestible video modules, podcasts and an extensive 'Living Library' of resources.
Celebrate
Hearts and Minds is here to share the wonderful work that is going on in the grassroots community in perinatal mental health. We’re keen to bring together the power of our collective voices to help influence strategic decisions in the birth and parenting world. We’re passionate about recognising the value of VCSEs as a fundamental part of an integrated perinatal mental health pathway in each local community.