Support at home
Bringing your baby home after a neonatal stay can be exciting, emotional and sometimes overwhelming. Families access our support at different stages of their journey and for many different reasons, from feeding and development to emotional wellbeing, financial support and help navigating appointments and services.
Whether you have recently returned home from hospital or are facing new challenges further down the line, our team is here to help.
Our family support team is led by staff who have both professional expertise and lived experience of neonatal care. Together, we provide practical and emotional support to help families navigate life after leaving the neonatal unit, ensuring they feel informed, connected and supported every step of the way.
Alongside their professional expertise, our team offers compassionate, practical support to help families navigate life during and after neonatal care.
Support that works for your family
Every family’s journey is different, which is why we offer a range of support that can be tailored to your needs. Support may include home visits, early years activities, trauma therapy, community groups, practical advice and help accessing services.
Some families access support for a few weeks after discharge, while others return months or years later as new challenges arise. Whatever your circumstances, our team is here to help.
How can we help?
Our support is flexible and tailored to the needs of each family. We can offer:
- Emotional and wellbeing support
- Practical advice and guidance
- Breastfeeding and infant feeding support
- Weaning support
- Safe sleep advice
- Early years and child development support
- Support with applications and signposting to welfare services
- Help to navigate appointments and services
- Sibling support
- Palliative and bereavement support
- Specialist support for families from diverse cultural and ethnic communities
- Signposting to local and national organisations.
Home visits
Our team offers home visits to families across Greater Manchester, providing practical and emotional support in the place where families often feel most comfortable.
Home visits are shaped around your family’s needs and may include support with feeding, routines, appointments, development, emotional wellbeing or simply having someone to talk to who understands the realities of life after neonatal care.
We know that the transition home can feel overwhelming, and our aim is to ensure that families feel supported and connected beyond discharge.
Feeding and weaning support
Feeding after a neonatal stay can bring unique challenges. Our team can offer support with breastfeeding, bottle feeding and introducing solid foods, taking into account your baby’s individual needs and your family’s circumstances.
We understand that cultural practices, family traditions and dietary requirements are important, and we work alongside families to provide support that feels right for them.
Helping families navigate services
Neonatal families often find themselves managing multiple appointments, services and professionals. We can help families understand what support is available and connect them with other organisations and services.
This may include:
- Help completing forms, including Disability Living Allowance and Family Fund applications
- Support understanding appointments and referrals
- Liaising with professionals
- Signposting to specialist charities and local services
- Helping families raise concerns or ask questions
Supporting families from diverse communities
We recognise that every family’s experience is shaped by their own culture, language, beliefs and circumstances.
Our team works with families from a wide range of communities across Greater Manchester and understands that different families may need different types of support. We aim to provide support that is accessible, inclusive and respectful of each family’s values and experiences.
We can also help families who may face additional barriers when accessing services, including those who require interpreters or additional advocacy.
Support for complex needs
Some families face additional challenges following discharge, including ongoing medical needs, complex diagnoses or palliative care.
Our team can provide tailored support, helping families navigate appointments, access appropriate services and feel less alone during difficult times.
Home Play sessions
Our Home Play sessions are delivered by our Early Years Practitioner and are tailored to your baby’s stage of development.
Sessions can include:
- Baby massage
- Sensory and exploratory play
- Tummy time activities
- Play ideas to support development
- Advice to build confidence and encourage learning through everyday activities.
Families receive a Home Play pack and practical activities to continue between sessions.
Newborn Behavioural Observation (NBO)
The Newborn Behavioural Observation (NBO) is available for babies up to three months corrected age and is designed to help parents better understand their baby’s behaviour and communication.
The NBO explores areas such as:
- Your baby’s different behavioural states
- How babies communicate through their cues
- What helps babies feel calm and supported
- Ways to strengthen bonding and confidence
Families who take part receive an NBO pack and baby weighing support.
“We found the NBO incredibly helpful. At a time when we were constantly anxious about understanding our premature twins’ cues and their development, Aimée provided some much-needed reassurance and validation of how we were managing. It helped us understand our babies more and definitely made us more confident as parents and improved our bond with our boys. It was quite a pivotal moment in our parenting journey.”
Quote from a family who accessed our NBO Service
Trauma therapy
The emotional impact of neonatal care does not always end when you leave hospital. Many parents experience anxiety, low mood, trauma or feelings that can be difficult to process long after their baby has come home.
Spoons offers specialist trauma therapy to parents who may benefit from additional emotional support. Our therapists understand the unique challenges of neonatal care and provide a safe and supportive space for parents to explore their experiences and develop strategies to support their wellbeing.
If you feel that trauma therapy may help you or your family, please speak to a member of the Spoons team or complete our referral form.
Community groups
Life after neonatal care can feel isolating, particularly if friends and family do not fully understand your experience. Our community groups provide a welcoming space where families can connect with others who have shared similar journeys.
We offer a range of activities and sessions, including baby massage, sensory play, stay and play sessions, singing and movement, weaning workshops and opportunities to meet other parents. Many families tell us that our groups help them build confidence, create friendships and feel less alone.
Whether you are looking for practical support, social connection or simply a chance to spend time with other neonatal families, we would love to welcome you.
Building connections
Many families tell us that one of the most valuable parts of Spoons is meeting other people who understand neonatal life.
Through our community groups, volunteers and family support team, we help parents build relationships, share experiences and feel less alone.
Helping improve neonatal care
At Spoons, we do not just support families at home. We also work to improve neonatal services across Greater Manchester by ensuring that parents’ experiences help shape future care.
Through our work with Greater Manchester Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnerships (MNVPs), neonatal units and healthcare teams, we gather feedback from families about their experiences of neonatal care, the transition home and life beyond discharge.
Every family’s experience is different, and by sharing your story you can help us improve support and shape neonatal services for future families. If you have experienced neonatal care, we would be grateful if you could take a few minutes to complete our family feedback survey.
Get support
If you think our support could help your family, you can refer yourself or ask a healthcare professional to make a referral on your behalf.
Whether you need practical advice, emotional support or help navigating life after neonatal care, our team is here to help.
We alleviate stress and reduce the isolation of families who experience neonatal care
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