Our YouCanBe and Mpower services are both wellbeing services for women providing support to strengthen relationships and increase self-esteem.

Our YouCanBe and Mpower services support women to take back control of their lives. Both are one-to-one and non-time limited. YouCanBe supports vulnerable young women to improve their self-esteem, relationships, and sexual and reproductive health. Mpower supports mothers whose child/ren have been removed into care.

YouCanBe

YouCanBe is an early intervention service for vulnerable women aged 15+ who, due to complex circumstances, are struggling to create bright futures for themselves.

The risk factors that mean a young woman might benefit from YouCanBe include:

  • Unhealthy relationships
  • Risky sexual behaviour
  • An experience of being in care at any point and for any length of time
  • Drug or alcohol misuse
  • Poor mental health
  • Being affected by domestic abuse
  • Mild learning difficulties

Whatever a young woman’s story, YouCanBe supports them to build self-esteem and resilience, which reduces the risks associated with their complex circumstances. Depending in each young woman’s needs, our Practitioners can offer:

  • One-to-one, non-time limited support
  • Support to improve sexual and reproductive health, including contraception and STI screening
  • Relationship and sex education, including work around consent, signs of abuse, online safety, and the difference between healthy/unhealthy relationships
  • Support to increase self-esteem and self-worth, including work around wellbeing, mindfulness, and emotional articulacy
  • Signposting to other services who can help with issues such as debt, housing, or mental health

YouCanBe is available in Ipswich, Lowestoft, Great Yarmouth and Norwich.

Mpower

Mpower supports women whose child/ren have been removed into care and who want to rebuild their lives.

We build supportive relationships, so that women feel safe to address the issues that led to removal. Empathy and understanding are core to how we work, as this loss is not widely understood. In contrast, Mpower is non-judgemental.

Our Practitioners support women to:

  • Set and work towards personal goals
  • Improve emotional health and wellbeing
  • Improve sexual and reproductive health, including accessing contraception and STI screening
  • Address practical difficulties, such as housing or debt
  • Access other services they need—such as debt, mental health or housing—walking alongside them every step of the way

Mpower can support women who are currently in care proceedings, and can occasionally support their partners. However, the service is unable to help reunite parents with their children.

Mpower is available in Ipswich, Great Yarmouth, Norwich, King’s Lynn, and Fenland.