Family support charity reports 41% referrals rise

Baby Basics sent out more than 400 starter packs last year

A charity that provides essential supplies for vulnerable new mothers said it had seen a 41% rise in referrals.

Baby Basics helped 144 families in Northamptonshire during the first four months of this year.

It believed the increased cost of living was creating more demand for its service.

More than 400 of its starter packs were sent out last year.

The supplies in each pack include clothes, nappies and chocolates

Baby Basics was set up in 2013 to provide Moses baskets full of essential items as starter packs for vulnerable new mothers.

The 2,499th and 2,500th starter packs were sent out recently to a set of newborn twins and their mother in the Corby area, who were struggling financially.

The charity said the figure of 144 referrals between January and April of this year was a 41% increase on the same period in 2023.

Baby Basics relies on volunteers to collect the supplies and pack the baskets

It has calculated that one in 18 babies born in the county were being supported by its work.

The baskets sent out provide a comfortable place for the new baby to sleep, and the items sent with them include baby clothes and blankets, nappies, baby wipes and toiletries.

The packs go to vulnerable families with newborn babies

Sabrina Oakey, the co-founder and head of operations at Baby Basics Northampton, said: "The fact that one in 18 babies born in the county of Northamptonshire now receives one of our Moses basket starter packs is a shocking statistic.

"Many of those are coming through as emergency referrals, and more and more families continue to have to choose between eating and having a safe place for their new baby to sleep."

Sabrina Oakey, from Baby Basics, said families were choosing between eating and having a safe place for baby to sleep

She added that the costs of purchasing items for the packs had increased and donations had gone down, which "meant the team are working harder than ever before".

A spokesperson for Northampton General Hospital's midwives said: "We refer to Baby Basics on a regular basis to help families to safely prepare for their baby.

"Families are overwhelmed with the generosity of the starter packs and this makes a huge difference to them."