Becoming a new mother can be a complicated life transition with physical, emotional, and psychological changes. Women with additional vulnerabilities are at greatest risk from physical and mental ill-health due to adversities faced when becoming a new mother. The impetus for the current White Paper arose from the desire to develop a deeper understanding of the needs of vulnerable new mothers, the perceived impact of the Early Years Support Service, and the best practice guidelines for how to support new mothers with additional vulnerabilities. This White Paper is based on the first empirical study of the Early Years Support Service, involving 47 stakeholders with direct experience including: 22 mothers who had or currently use the Early Years Support Service, 15 volunteers, 6 staff, 4 significant others. The Early Years Support Service is available to primary carers irrespective of gender. All of the service users who participated in this study identified as mothers and thus this White Paper discusses the experiences of mothers
