Maternity Care, a Way Forward

action needed

Student Midwives: No Jobs, No Future

Student midwives are graduating into unemployment while maternity services remain dangerously understaffed. New ARM Freedom of Information research, in support of Fund Future Midwives UK (please attend and promote protests), has found just one predicted newly qualified midwife post for every 3.6 final-year students, and Health Minister Baroness Merron still calls this a “misalignment.” (Read the full research here)

Baroness Merron has now accepted in the House of Lords that 31% of newly qualified midwives have no job or are on fixed-term contracts. What they have not done is commit to substantive jobs, multi-year funding, or fair training conditions.
We need MPs to hear from constituents now before the September intake that this is not acceptable. Below is a template letter you can send to your MP. Find your MP at writetothem.com.

This template letter to your MP was first drafted by student midwife Safia Saad and edited with ARM.

Sign the petition here

DOWNLOAD MP TEMPLATE LETTER

action needed

Open letter: Stop the criminalisation of bereaved mothers

The ARM is supporting two Czech mothers who each received a prison sentence after their babies died following unassisted birth. They did not consent to undergoing caesarean sections for breech presentation. There were no alternatives within the Czech maternity system available to them, therefore these mothers were forced to birth unassisted at home and the outcomes were tragic.

This matter requires urgent attention. Please join us in supporting these bereaved mothers in their pursuit of justice. If you wish to endorse the attached open letter, contact us. If you compose your own letter, please let us know, we will list it here. Thank you for standing up for human rights in childbirth.

Organisations supporting this cause

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National Maternity & Neonatal Collective

ARM has been part of the Collective since it was set up nine months ago by Make Birth Better to respond to the national maternity and neonatal investigation set up by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in June, 2025. The Collective – involving over 100 national and grassroots organisations – came together to co-produce a strategic plan identifying the key priorities the Government needs to rebuild maternity and neonatal care that is safe, equitable, compassionate and human rights-centred for all. The group recently presented this strategic plan to Secretary of State Wes Streeting, Baroness Amos and the Investigation team in Westminster.

download The full strategic plan

ongoing

Homebirth: Open Letter on the Cahill Prevention of Future Deaths Report

ARM, AIMS, and Birthrights responded to the Coroner’s Prevention of Future Deaths Report following the deaths of Jen and Agnes Cahill after a planned homebirth. The open letter calls for homebirth services to be resourced safely — not dismantled.

read and Sign the open letter here