Strengthening pre-birth practice together: Introducing the Pre-birth Community of Practice
Strengthening pre-birth practice together: Introducing the Pre-birth Community of Practice
Delivered online using Teams
12:00 - 13:30 Monday, 23 March 2026
Pre-birth work is a complex and sensitive area of practice. Practitioners balance assessment, support and decision-making at a time of heightened anxiety for families and professionals.
This webinar will introduce a Pre-birth Community of Practice to professionals across our Partner network who work with parents and families during pregnancy where there are concerns about risks and vulnerabilities.
The session will offer a shared space to explore research, hear examples of good practice and shape a Community of Practice that is grounded in practice experience.
Attendees will have opportunities to reflect on experience and help shape future sessions.
About the facilitator
This session will be facilitated by Claire Mason, research fellow at the Centre for Child and Family Justice Research at the University of Lancaster. Claire was the lead researcher on the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory funded Born into Care: Developing new Best Practice Guidelines research. She will share some of the key learning from this research and its implications for developing effective, ethical and compassionate pre-birth practice.
Who should attend
This session is open to practitioners and managers from our Partner network who have an established pre-birth offer or are currently exploring/developing a pre-birth offer. This includes social workers, midwives, family support workers, managers and professionals from voluntary, community, and social enterprise organisations.
If you have commissioned a service to deliver pre-birth services in your local area and would like them to attend, please contact our events team.
Learning outcomes
As a result of attending this session, participants will be able to:
- Identify the purpose and value of a Pre-birth Community of Practice for improving consistency, confidence and shared learning.
- Reflect on pre-birth work within your own setting.
- Contribute priorities and themes to shape the focus of future Pre-birth Community of Practice sessions.
Booking
To book your place please complete this form
This event is a webinar.
A webinar is a facilitator-led online seminar that explores key topics and insights.
Audience Types
Principal Social Worker (PSW)
Practitioners
Senior practitioners
Social workers
Strategic leads
Team leaders
Professional Standards
PQS:KSS - Relationships and effective direct work | Analysis, decision-making, planning and review | Child and family assessment | Promote and govern excellent practice | Shaping and influencing the practice system | Effective use of power and authority | Confident analysis and decision-making | Purposeful and effective social work | Emotionally intelligent practice supervision | Lead and govern excellent practice | Creating a context for excellent practice | Designing a system to support effective practice | Developing excellent practitioners | Support effective decision-making
CQC - Safe | Effective | Caring | Responsive
PCF - Values and ethics | Rights, justice and economic wellbeing | Knowledge | Critical reflection and analysis | Intervention and skills
Pre-birth assessment: Strategic Briefing (2020)
We know that infants are particularly vulnerable, needing care and protection in timeframes consistent with developmental needs. We also know that the perinatal period is a crucial time for development and a good opportunity to harness the desire of parents to be good parents to their expected child. Pre-birth assessment practice varies widely; this briefing is for strategic leads with responsibility for pre-birth assessment activities in child and family social care, health services and midwife
Transforming pre-birth work: Insights and resources for better outcomes
Pre-birth work is a crucial area of practice in social care. Fidelma Hanrahan shares key findings from research that informed the Research in Practice Pre-birth Change Project in a new blog.