The Gypsy & Traveller Maternity Network
A space that’s been needed for far too long - now finally here.
The Gypsy & Traveller Maternity Network exists to move us beyond conversation and into action. This is where the dialogue sparked in Cultural Humility workshops becomes something real, rooted, and community-led.
Because our families deserve care that understands them.
Because our women deserve opportunities that empower them.
Because change doesn’t happen in theory, it happens in practice.
What We Stand For
📣 Culturally Safe Birth & Postnatal Support
Care designed by our community, for our community. Support that honours lived experience, respects tradition, and meets women where they are, without judgement, without barriers.
📣 Training & Pathways for Gypsy & Traveller Women
Accessible, recognised training that opens doors. We equip women to step into professional roles as Maternity Practitioners within their own communities, creating trust, opportunity, and lasting impact.
📣 Cultural Humility Training for Professionals
Ongoing education for perinatal and infant health professionals who are ready to do better. This is about more than awareness, it’s about accountability, understanding, and meaningful change in how care is delivered.
Why This Matters
For too long, Gypsy & Traveller women have been underserved, unheard, and misunderstood within maternity systems. We’re changing that, by centring community voices, building pathways, and raising the standard of care.
This isn’t a project.
It’s a movement.
Join Us
Whether you’re a mother, a practitioner, or an organisation ready to step forward—there’s a place for you here.
Let’s build something that actually works.
Gypsy & Traveller Cultural Humility for Perinatal Professionals
Live Workshop | 15th July | 10:30–12:00 | Zoom (not recorded)
Let’s start with what’s actually happening.
-
Gypsy, Roma and Traveller women experience some of the poorest maternal and infant health outcomes in the UK and across Europe
-
Maternal mortality rates are estimated to be up to 5 times higher than the national average
-
Many women delay or avoid antenatal care due to previous experiences of discrimination and fear of judgement
-
There are higher rates of miscarriage, pregnancy loss, and infant mortality within these communities (estimated to be 10 x higher)
-
Across the board, women face systemic barriers, racism, and culturally unsafe care
This isn’t about “hard to reach” communities.
This is about services that have not been built to reach them safely.
And this is where your work comes in.
Because whether you realise it or not, if you’re working in perinatal care, you are likely already working with members of these communities
This workshop is different
This is not diversity training pulled from a textbook.
This is taught from lived experience as a Romany Gypsy woman and a doula with over 20 years supporting families through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.
You’re not being taught about Gypsy and Traveller communities from the outside. You’re being invited to understand, properly, from within.
What we’ll cover
We go beyond surface-level awareness. You’ll gain a clear, grounded understanding of:
-
The realities of racism and discrimination faced by Gypsy and Traveller women in maternity care
-
How this shows up in everyday interactions, systems, and decision-making
-
The impact this has on trust, access to care, and outcomes
-
Why many women delay, avoid, or disengage from services
-
The difference between cultural awareness and true cultural humility
And crucially- what needs to change in your practice.
Because awareness without action changes nothing
You’ll leave with practical, usable shifts you can implement immediately:
-
How to make your service more accessible and culturally appropriate
-
Communication approaches that build trust rather than reinforce barriers
-
Small but powerful changes that make a real difference to families’ experiences
-
A clearer understanding of your role in either perpetuating harm — or actively reducing it
Who this is for
-
Midwives
-
Doulas
-
Birth workers
-
Health visitors
-
Perinatal practitioners across all settings
-
If you women in pregnancy, birth, or postpartum, this is your responsibility.
Important details:
15th July
10:30am – 12:00pm
Live on Zoom
Not recorded
Gypsy and Traveller women do not experience poor outcomes by accident.
They are the result of systems, assumptions, and repeated failures to listen.
This workshop is about doing better, not perfectly, not performatively but consciously, practically, and with accountability.
Because culturally safe care isn’t an extra.
It’s the baseline.
And right now, too many families are still being failed.
You can be part of changing that.
If you would like to book a private workshop then please do get in touch at clarecoxdoula@gmail.com
Cultural Humility Projects
Commissioned Diversity Series Resource Inclusive Perinatal Practice with Traveller and Gypsy Communities A Best Practice Guide for Clinical Psychologists Commissioned by British Psychological Society – Faculty of Perinatal Psychology
Commissioned by the British Psychological Society’s Faculty of Perinatal Psychology, this resource was authored to address a critical gap in culturally responsive perinatal care.As the commissioned author, I developed this guide to deepen clinical understanding of the unique experiences, strengths, and systemic challenges faced by Traveller and Gypsy communities during the perinatal period.
It moves beyond surface-level inclusion, inviting psychologists to engage in meaningful reflection on bias, access, and the structural inequalities that continue to shape care.Grounded in both evidence and community-informed perspectives, the guide offers clear, practical recommendations for delivering respectful, relationship-centred care. It supports clinicians to build trust, adapt their approaches, and work more effectively across cultural differences—without diluting clinical integrity.
At its core, this work calls for a necessary shift: from standardised models of care to practice that is flexible, culturally attuned, and rooted in dignity.This publication forms part of the BPS Commissioned Diversity Series, contributing to ongoing efforts to embed equity, inclusion, and accountability within perinatal psychological services.
Lunch & Learn Facilitator (Commissioned) – Sands Baby Loss Charity
National Bereavement Care Pathway for Pregnancy & Baby Loss
Commissioned to facilitate an upcoming Lunch & Learn session as part of the National Bereavement Care Pathway, supporting the ongoing development of compassionate, informed care for families experiencing pregnancy and baby loss.
Invited to speak on the cultural needs of Gypsy & Traveller communities—groups who continue to face disproportionately high rates of baby and child loss within the UK. This session will support healthcare professionals to deepen cultural understanding and deliver more inclusive, sensitive care.
Bringing both professional expertise and lived experience to the work, with a strong focus on advocacy, representation, and ensuring underheard voices are meaningfully included within national care frameworks.
