Recipient organisationNIHR Applied Research Collaboration Yorkshire and Humber
NIHR supportRecorded as supported by this research centre
PeriodMar 2025 — Feb 2026
In plain English
AI plain-English summary
Asylum-seeking and refugee women in the UK are co-designing the research agenda for perinatal mental health services, rather than simply being subjects of study. Many of these women face severe barriers to care—language difficulties, cultural stigma, and lack of awareness about available support—that can leave perinatal mental health problems untreated, with lasting consequences for both mother and child. The UPLIFT project, based at Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, addresses a gap: research priorities have typically been set by clinicians and academics, not by the women who need the services. If the project succeeds, the research priorities it produces will directly inform NHS and academic funders about what matters most to asylum seekers and refugees. This could reshape how perinatal mental health services are designed, making them more accessible and culturally appropriate. The project uses focus groups, digital storytelling, and social media (TikTok and Instagram) to reach women who might otherwise be excluded from such conversations. The impact is practical and immediate: better-targeted research leads to services that actually work for the people who need them.
View original technical description
UPLIFT is a research project aimed at improving perinatal mental health support for asylum seekers and refugees (ASRs) in the UK. Many ASR women face significant barriers in accessing care, including language difficulties, cultural stigma, lack of awareness, and systemic challenges. Without proper support, perinatal mental health issues can have long-term consequences for mothers and their children. Through collaborations with community partners, including Leeds Refugee Forum and City of Sanctuary Maternity Stream, UPLIFT works to build a community of ASR women, raise awareness, and co-produce research priorities that inform the development of more accessible and inclusive mental health services. The project ensures that ASR voices are at the heart of decision-making, shaping both service improvements and future research priorities. Based at Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, and in collaboration with the University of Huddersfield, the UPLIFT team is using focus groups, digital storytelling, and social media engagement to connect with ASR women and explore the key challenges they face. The project is structured around three core workstreams: • Engage and Spread the Word – Outreach through community partnerships, social media (TikTok & Instagram), and storytelling to build awareness. • Build, Learn, and Share – Creating safe spaces for ASR women to share their experiences and inform research priorities. • Understand and Prioritise – Identifying and translating the most pressing needs from a large community of experts by experience into research priorities. As an ARC-linked project, UPLIFT benefits from expert feedback, knowledge-sharing, and wider dissemination opportunities. The research priorities identified through this project will contribute to future perinatal mental health care by informing the academic community and NHS services on what research is important from the perspective of those that can benefit most from it.
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