News post
30 years of Birth Companions
05 Mar 2026
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In 2026, Birth Companions marks 30 years of standing alongside pregnant women and mothers through some of the most difficult and complex situations imaginable.
In 2026, Birth Companions marks 30 years of standing alongside pregnant women and mothers through some of the most difficult and complex situations imaginable.
In 2026, Birth Companions marks 30 years of standing alongside pregnant women and mothers through some of the most difficult and complex situations imaginable.
For three decades, we have worked with women in prisons, in the community, and in the family courts. When they don’t receive the care, compassion and coordinated support they need, Birth Companions is there with love, support and opportunities to improve the systems and services that have failed them.
Our 30th year is a moment to reflect on what change looks like when women are met with kindness, compassion and understanding. It is also a time to recommit to the work that still needs to be done to deliver better care, equity and justice for all pregnant women, mothers and babies.
Birth Companions was founded in 1996 in response to undercover footage showing a woman from Holloway Prison handcuffed to prison officers while in labour at the Whittington Hospital. That footage triggered widespread outrage when it was aired on Channel 4. Our mission at the outset was to support women through pregnancy, birth and early motherhood in the harsh environment of prison.
What began as a group of volunteers responding to injustice has grown into a national charity with specialist support services, an established Lived Experience Programme and the Birth Companions Institute - our centre of expertise dedicated to achieving change through research, public affairs, policy, campaigns, consultancy, the law and the media. Each of these three strands of our organisation support each other and draw on our three decades of specialist knowledge, practice and experience.
Over 30 years, we have learned that lasting change is built on enduring partnerships, robust evidence, dogged perseverance and enormous passion. It comes from centring women’s lived experience and taking a strategic approach. The issues women face cut across health, justice, immigration and social care systems. Real change has to engage with complexity, and be rooted in care and dignity.
We have seen what is possible when women are listened to, heard and take power into their own hands. We continue to see where systems fail, and why change remains urgent.
Our anniversary year is both a celebration and a call to action. Birth Companions has been shaped by women with lived experience, staff, volunteers, partners and supporters who have stood with us over 30 years. Throughout 2026, we will be sharing stories, insights and reflections that show what change looks like in practice. Across the year, we will spotlight the power of lived experience; the importance of language that holds rather than harms; and the role of coordinated systems in preventing separation, reducing criminalisation, and breaking cycles of harm.
We will reflect on major milestones such as 10 years of the Birth Charter for Women in prison, and look ahead to the role the Birth Companions Institute is playing in driving systemic change. We will also hold space for community, storytelling, celebration and learning. Together, we will build a picture of where we have come from and where we are going.
Our anniversary year feeds into our 2030 strategic vision. We are working towards a future where no woman faces pregnancy or early motherhood without the care, compassion and coordinated support to meet her needs, and the needs of her baby. We know we will have achieved this when all women have the best possible experience of pregnancy, birth and motherhood, whatever their circumstances. When each woman attains the best possible health and wellbeing for herself and her children. And when law, policy, systems, services and guidance meet the needs of every woman and baby.
We will be using our anniversary year to celebrate and to grow the Birth Companions community. We would love to hear from you. Please feel free to share your memories of and reflections on Birth Companions; what change has looked like for you; and your thoughts on what needs to happen next.
Please get in touch at institute@birthcompanions.org.uk.