VOLUNTEER AS A MOTHER COMPANION

Volunteers offer emotional and practical support to migrant mamas, from their last trimester of pregnancy until their babe is 8 weeks old. Our trained companions are also on call to act as a trusted birth partner for women who would otherwise give birth alone.

When you join the Project MAMA village, you become part of a nurturing community standing in solidarity with families facing marginalisation.

No previous birth experience is required — we’ll train and support you every step of the way.

Next application deadline: Tuesday August 4th 2026. We will review applications on a rolling basis and spaces are limited.

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What support do volunteer mother companions provide?

You’ll work in a small team, with other Project MAMA volunteers and staff, to provide a mama with person-focused support. You’ll visit her approximately every other week, in her home, from her third trimester of pregnancy until 8 weeks after she gives birth. With your team, you’ll also be part of an on-call rota to be her birth partner. Your support could include:

  • Accompanying a mama to some midwife appointments

  • Helping her create a personalised birth plan

  • Advocating for her healthcare rights and birth choices

  • Providing emotional support during labour and birth (including inductions and caesarean births)

  • Offering companionship and being a calm, reassuring presence throughout the perinatal period

  • Providing support with infant feeding (breast or bottle)

  • Supporting a mama postnatally, e.g. watching the baby while she showers or naps

  • Accompanying a mama to local parent & baby groups

  • Assisting a mama to register her new baby with the GP

  • Keeping concise notes on your support and flagging any risks or safeguarding concerns

Is this role right for you?

If you’re passionate about supporting refugee & migrant mamas who face structural inequalities on their path to parenthood, we would love to hear from you. No previous experience in birth work is needed. We provide full training and ongoing support.

We particularly encourage applications from people who have professional experience in the refugee sector, or lived experience of migration or other issues relevant to the communities we support. We are also keen to hear from multilingual people.

Before applying, please consider whether you:

  • Live within, or can easily commute to, BS postcodes (This covers Bristol, North Somerset and large parts of South Gloucestershire)

  • Have time to be on-call twice a year to attend a birth, which may happen during the day or night

  • Can commit to volunteering for at least one year, supporting two mamas in that time.

  • Are reliable, compassionate and able to work well in a team

  • Are committed to social justice and anti-racism

  • Feel able to support women who may have experienced trauma, with supervision and support in place

  • Are willing to complete a DBS check

Please also ensure you can make the dates for our next Mother Companion training (2 full days and four evenings):

  • Friday 4th September, 9:00am - 4:30pm

  • Wednesday 9th September, 6:00pm - 8:15pm

  • Wednesday 16th September, 6:00pm - 8:15pm

  • Wednesday 23rd September, 6:00pm - 8:15pm

  • Wednesday 30th September, 6:00pm - 8:15pm

  • Friday 9th October, 9:00am - 4:30pm

This training will take place in Easton, Bristol.

faq’S

  • During the 4 weeks around the due date of the mama you’re supporting, you need to be ready to “drop everything” and go to the hospital when she goes into labour — day or night.

    However, you won’t be on-call continuously for 4 weeks straight. We create an on-call rota based on volunteer availability, and you’ll share this responsibility with your team.

    You can let us know when you’re available to be on-call, so we can match you with a mama who is due to give birth when you have capacity to provide support.

  • Our training will include sessions on:

    • The inequalities that refugee and migrant women face

    • Safeguarding

    • Birth physiology and supporting women in childbirth

    • Pain relief, birth interventions and birth planning

    • Introduction to infant feeding

    • Postpartum support

    • Cultural safety and trauma-informed care

  • No our training is free and we never want our volunteers to be out of pocket!

    We cover:

    • Travel to training and volunteering, including car/motorbike/bike mileage or public transport costs.

    • Expenses incurred when volunteering, e.g. refreshments bought for a mama.

  • Yes. This training is designed for people without previous birth work experience, but we also welcome applications from people who are doulas, midwives, or have other experience in perinatal support.

    Our training includes trauma-informed practice, cultural safety, safeguarding and the UK asylum system, giving all volunteers a strong foundation for the Mother Companion role. For volunteers with antenatal, postnatal or birth support experience, there will be opportunities to share your knowledge and learn with the group.

  • If you have questions, or would like to chat about our training or the Mother Companion role, please get in touch: etti@projectmama.org.