What we do

Spoons is a Greater Manchester charity supporting families through the challenges of neonatal care. We offer practical, emotional and peer support for parents, siblings and the wider family – from admission to the neonatal unit and beyond.

Our approach

Our aim is to lighten the load and reduce the isolation of families who experience neonatal care.

We pride ourselves on communicating effectively and engaging meaningfully, sensitively and positively with our families, partners and volunteers.

Supporting families

Working closely with our NHS colleagues and partner services, we offer a range of services to ensure families feel supported every step of the way. These services include:

Peer support networks and volunteering opportunities
Dedicated support from our family support team
Trauma therapy and counselling
Online support networks
Sensory play and baby massage sessions
Community groups

Communication and engagement

We know how important it is to share information at the right time and in ways that feel accessible and supportive, so our families can feel informed and up to date.

Just as importantly, we create opportunities to listen and connect, helping us better understand what families need. We want every family to feel truly heard, not just listened to. By doing this: We can act as advocates for our families
We support parents to feel empowered
We help families access specialist services and facilities by making them easier to find, understand and navigate We ensure literature is meaningful, relevant, accessible and can be understood
We ensure medical terminology is simplified, explained and understood
Families are consulted on services and feel encouraged and able to share their own experiences

Working together

We recognise we can’t do this alone, and that working together is key to offering the best possible support to our families.

By partnering closely with families, key services and other organisations, we make sure our support is shaped around real needs and always keeps families at the centre. This helps us to:

Positively influence care policy and provision
Maximise funding opportunities
Obtain best value when spending funds
Make sure services compliment each other and we avoid duplicating provisions

Enabling families to better navigate the neonatal journey

We work closely with the neonatal unit staff to improve parent engagement and support the development of strong relationships with families and health professionals. This involves:

Supporting health professionals to better engage with families
Signposting to other appropriate services
Supporting coproduction of work with health professionals and families
Providing peer support via lived experience
Providing resources and packs to help families make memories
Providing practical and emotional support to families
Supporting Family Integrated Care
Facilitating a community of people with neonatal lived experience

Making milestones

Milestones are special moments for all parents, but for those with babies in neonatal care, they can look very different. We know how it feels to finally have that first cuddle you’ve waited weeks for, to see your little one dressed for the first time after so long in an incubator, or to give them a proper bath after months of gentle wipes. These moments are huge, and we’re here to help you celebrate every single one.

Welcome packs

Our Neonatal Welcome Packs are available for families of babies who are admitted to neonatal care. Our packs have been code signed with our facilities and neonatal teams to ensure they meet the needs of families. They contain both practical items and resources to support families in making memories.

Milestone cards

We have produced a range of neonatal milestone cards which are given to parents on the units we support. These help parents to capture and remember dates of those precious moments.

Family support

Our aim is to ensure our families have access to the right support at the right time throughout their neonatal journey and beyond.

At Spoons, we provide a needs-led service – offering support not just to parents, but also to siblings and the wider family wherever we can. As parents or health professionals who’ve experienced neonatal care ourselves, we truly understand the challenges families face on the neonatal unit. That’s why we keep in close contact with families to make sure our support meets their needs and to help improve the care they receive from other organisations.

Family Integrated Care

Family Integrated Care, or FiCare, is a term you may hear a lot on the neonatal unit. FiCare is a model of care which is used to help you and your family get to know the team caring for your baby. We work with neonatal teams to promote FiCare and support positive relationships with families and health professionals. We support parents to feel empowered and be actively involved in all aspects of their baby’s care.

About Spoons

Spoons began in 2015 when Kirsten set up a small support group for parents with babies in the neonatal unit at Royal Oldham Hospital. She started the group following the premature birth of her son in 2014 and the lack of support available for families experiencing neonatal care.

Joined by friends Lee and Sarah, who had similar experiences, the group quickly became a lifeline for families navigating an overwhelming and emotional journey.

From these beginnings, Spoons grew – extending support to North Manchester General Hospital, fundraising to improve family facilities, and offering peer support on the neonatal unit itself.

In 2016, Spoons became a registered charity, and today we provide peer support across neonatal units throughout Greater Manchester, alongside a wide range of community resources.

Spoons has now become a thriving community of neonatal families from across Greater Manchester. We offer a range of services to support families that we could have only have dreamed of back in 2015.

Why Spoons?

Spoons originally stood for Supporting Parents of Oldham Neonates. As we grew across the region, the name stayed, representing the trust and connection we’ve built with families and professionals alike.