HOPE BOXES LAUNCHING ACROSS COVENTRY AND WARWICKSHIRE TO SUPPORT MOTHERS AND BABIES SEPARATED AT BIRTH
6 February 2026
Hope Boxes will launch across Coventry and Warwickshire next month to help support mothers and babies who are separated at birth due to safeguarding concerns.
Coventry City Council and Warwickshire County Council have secured one-year funding from the Integrated Care Board (ICB) to introduce Hope Boxes at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust and Warwick Hospital.
HOPE stands for Hold On, Pain Eases. The boxes are offered to mothers and babies who have to be separated while court proceedings determine long term plans. They are designed to support connection, promote identity, recognise grief and loss, and reduce trauma.
Each Hope Box contains carefully chosen items intended to provide comfort and support during a difficult time. Items include photographs, a blanket, a soft toy, and a baby record and communication book. The items can support activities that may take place on the maternity ward before separation, or during family time sessions, and help mothers capture meaningful memories and maintain a connection with their baby following separation.
Hope Boxes have been created with the help of women with lived experience and are designed as a gift from a mother to a mother. Colleagues from Coventry and Warwickshire Children’s Services, UHCW and Warwick Hospital have attended training delivered by the Hope Box project to support them in understanding the purpose of each item and how to use them effectively with mothers and their babies.
A launch event is being held at the Jon Sharp Suite, Coventry Rugby Club, Butts Park Arena, Coventry, on 24 February, from 12.45pm to 3.15pm. To confirm your space, please email Chantelle.Davies@Coventry.gov.uk by 17 February.
Hope Boxes will be offered to all mothers where separation is the care plan. Participation is voluntary, and mothers can choose whether they would like to receive a Hope Box and who they would like to support them through the process, which may include a midwife, a health professional, or a social worker.