20 Jun Maternity, migration and policy: a collaborative roundtable
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20 June 2025
Maternity, migration and policy: a collaborative roundtable
NIHR-funded maternity researchers leading two projects designed to improve maternity care for migrant women have co-hosted their first Maternity and Migration Policy Roundtable.
| 📅 When | Tuesday 3 June 2025 |
| 📍 Where | Friend’s House, Euston, London |
| 👥 Who | Women with lived experience, policymakers from NHS England and the Department for Health and Social Care, and researchers |
The roundtable was a powerful and productive event bringing together women with lived experience, policymakers from NHS England and the Department for Health and Social Care, and researchers. Delegates joined in person, via video and through interactive platforms, sparking emotional and impactful discussions.
The two NIHR-funded projects behind the roundtable
Led by ARC South London researchers at King’s College London, the No Recourse to Public Funds (NoRePF) project is exploring the long-term health and social outcomes of pregnant migrants and their children who are living in the UK with no entitlement to most welfare support.
The Migration and Maternal Health (MAMAH) study is being carried out by researchers at the University of Oxford and University College London, including researchers at NIHR ARC North Thames. It aims to improve pregnancy care for underserved migrants in the UK by gathering the latest evidence and expert input.
Purpose of the roundtable
The roundtable provided space to explore current policy, build relationships, and begin shaping future research and policy priorities. Women attending shared their experiences of migration to the UK, maternity and interactions with health and social care services.
Explore current policy on maternity care for migrant women in the UK
Build relationships between researchers, policymakers and those with lived experience
Begin shaping future research and policy priorities around migration and maternal health
Amplify authentic stories to improve research practice and help pave the way to more humane migration and maternal health policies
Voices from the roundtable
“This event highlighted the need to create psychologically safe opportunities for all stakeholders to engage, co-explore challenges and co-create solutions. By courageously sharing their life stories, experts by experience demonstrated that authentic stories can amplify data, improve research practices and help pave the way to more relevant and humane migration and maternal health policies.”
Zenab Barry — Peer-researcher on the NoRePF project and former Director of National Maternity Voices
“Experts by experience shared with policymakers and researchers the profound impact of language barriers, housing instability, and NHS charging on migrant women’s maternity care. Women spoke of feeling pressured to consent to care they didn’t fully understand, living in deep poverty, and lacking access to childcare, mental health support and culturally safe services. The event called for a more compassionate, equitable system that values continuity of care, improves interpretation and recognises the strengths migrant women bring.”
Dr Hannah Rayment-Jones — Lead researcher on the NoRePF project, King’s College London
Key issues raised by experts by experience
Women with lived experience highlighted the following barriers to accessing safe, equitable maternity care:
Language barriers — women spoke of feeling pressured to consent to care they didn’t fully understand due to inadequate interpretation
Housing instability and deep poverty — including the impact of No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) status on accessing support
NHS charging — creating fear of seeking care and preventing timely access to maternity services
Lack of access to childcare, mental health support and culturally safe services
Lack of continuity of care — women called for a system that recognises the strengths migrant women bring and provides consistent, compassionate support
Wellbeing and next steps
Support was available throughout the event, including reminders about self-care, an offer of psychological debriefing and signposting to relevant networks.
Experts by experience expressed a strong desire to “do this again”, and policymakers welcomed the opportunity for continued collaboration. Dr Rayment-Jones said insights from the event will shape ongoing research and collaboration with policymakers.
A follow-up policy lab is planned for 2026 to share research findings and continue the collaboration between researchers, policymakers and those with lived experience.
Find out more
- →
Read more about the NoRePF project - →
Read more about the MAMAH study - →
Find out more about maternity and perinatal mental health research at ARC South London - →
A better start for migrant mothers and babies — related ARC South London news
For more information about the NoRePF project or this event, please contact:
hannah.rayment-jones@kcl.ac.uk — Dr Hannah Rayment-Jones
Zenab.Barry@kcl.ac.uk — Zenab Barry
Original source: arc-sl.nihr.ac.uk — NIHR ARC South London legacy content archived May 2026.