01 Apr A better start for migrant mothers and babies
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1 April 2025
A better start for migrant mothers and babies
Migrants’ maternal health conference provides a platform for the exchange of knowledge and innovative practices to improve the health outcomes of migrant mothers and infants.
Pregnant women and new mothers who are migrants or asylum-seekers often face major obstacles to good health. Research actively involving people with lived experience is shedding light on key concerns.
Hannah Rayment-Jones, a midwife and NIHR research fellow at ARC South London, worked with Tomasina Stacey, of the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care at King’s College London, and the Maternity Stream Research Network, to organise a migrants’ maternal health conference in November 2024.
Attendees at the migrants’ maternal health conference, Bush House, King’s College London.About the conference
| 📅 When | November 2024 |
| 📍 Where | Bush House, King’s College London, Strand campus |
| 🌐 Organiser | Maternity Stream Research Network, in partnership with ARC South London and King’s College London |
The conference was open to, and showcased the work of, experts by experience, charities, key stakeholders, community groups, health and social care professionals and researchers.
Hannah Rayment-Jones and Zenab Barry, a peer researcher working with the ARC’s maternity and perinatal mental health theme, delivered a keynote speech on improving health and social inequalities for mothers and children with no recourse to public funds and irregular immigration status.
Keynote spotlight
Dr Hannah Rayment-Jones
Midwife and NIHR research fellow, ARC South London, King’s College London
Zenab Barry
Peer researcher, ARC South London maternity and perinatal mental health theme
Their keynote speech focused on improving health and social inequalities for mothers and children with no recourse to public funds and irregular immigration status — a population that is particularly vulnerable to poor health outcomes due to systemic barriers to welfare support and healthcare access.
Outcomes from the day
The event was well-attended, with positive engagement and a roundtable discussion that identified priorities for future research on migrants’ maternal and child health.
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Exchange of knowledge and innovative practices between experts by experience, researchers and health professionals
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Roundtable discussion that identified priorities for future research on migrants’ maternal and child health
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Showcasing of work by charities, community groups, and people with lived experience of migration and maternity
“The scale of the event was just right. It was welcoming and felt comfortable, especially as our team had a mother with her toddler — so nice for her to experience being part of this.”
Conference attendee
Find out more
- →
View the conference webpage — includes links to presentations from the day and a powerful video developed with women giving birth in the asylum system - →
The NoRePF project — improving maternal and child health for migrants with no recourse to public funds and irregular status - →
Maternity, migration and policy: a collaborative roundtable — the follow-up policy roundtable held in June 2025 - →
Maternity and perinatal mental health research at ARC South London
Original source: arc-sl.nihr.ac.uk — NIHR ARC South London legacy content archived May 2026.