FAQs
What does it mean to be part of Mothers CAN?
Mothers CAN holds space for mums across the UK. We come together to connect with each other, share ideas and best practice, and build confidence and leadership skills. You can get as involved as you want. Attend a training course, drop in to a training or speaker session, or become part of our steering group. Join our mailing list to learn more about what we’re doing and how you can get involved. Once you’ve connected with us or attended a training there is no obligation to do more. It’s up to you how much you get involved.
How does Mothers CAN differ from other parent groups?
We focus on community organising and we build the skills and confidence of mums to make informed decisions about how and where they can make the most impact. There are lots of fantastic parent groups doing brilliant work across the UK. We try to support rather than replicate each other’s work. We recommend doing your own research on local groups and getting involved with the group that suits you best. Some parent groups are issue-specific, and others might focus on campaigning through mobilising large groups of people. Our training at Mothers CAN is free, and if you train with us we will encourage you to use your learned skills wherever and however it works for you. That might be by joining other local groups or by setting up your own community group, which we help our members with. Get in touch to find out more.
​Where are your groups and can I join one?
We have groups all over the UK taking action in their local communities. Get in touch to let us know where you are and we’ll see if any of the mums in our Network are nearby. If so, with their permission, we can put you in touch to see if there is common ground to explore.
Can I set up a Mothers CAN group?
Mothers CAN helps support collective action, or action involving others. By building skills and confidence through training and peer support, we help mums work out what type of action would work best for them. For those mums who are ready and keen, we help them set up their own Mothers CAN group in their local communities. Mums recruit a group from their network, and then we facilitate a series of meetings and activities with the group to help get them going.
How do you stay connected?
Join our mailing list to receive our regular newsletter that will inspire you with stories of what our network is up to, what training is coming up, and how to get involved. Once you become more engaged in the network by getting in touch and attending some training, you will be invited to join our WhatsApp community where we share stories and information. We host regular training and peer to peer learning sessions throughout the year, and try to meet in person when we can.
Who is the Anxiety to Action course for?
We run our Anxiety to Action course twice a year to help any mum who wants to know more about taking collective action and how to get going.
Do I have to take the Anxiety to Action course to become part of the network?
No you don’t, but it is a great introduction to the network and will help you connect with other mums across the UK who are ready to take collective action. Get in touch and we can see what works best for you.
How are you funded?
We are mainly volunteer-led, which helps keep our costs low. However, like any organisation, we have costs that we have to pay to keep going. We welcome any donation to help with these costs, and occasionally seek funds. We received a set-up grant four years ago that helped us develop our website, branding, and systems. Two years ago we raised money through the Big Give’s green match fund (now called Earth Raise) and we have been selected to be part of it again this year (2026). The majority of the money we raise pays for the invaluable support of our part-time operations manager. So while every donation really helps us do more to support the network, we don’t tend to seek bigger funding. This means we can run our network the way that suits the mums involved, rather than reporting back to funders.
Why mothers?
Our role as mothers provides a powerful connection between us. Our experiences of motherhood are all different, but we share a strong and urgent desire to protect our children’s futures, which is why we are strongly motivated to act. Whilst society values the role of mothers, we’re often seen only as care-givers, and along with women more broadly, regularly ignored in decision-making. At Mothers CAN we know that by supporting and learning from each other, we can build power in our communities, making a space for ourselves in places where mothers often aren’t expected to be. All mums from anywhere in the UK are welcome to join the network. And if you’re not a mother but want to get involved, you’re welcome too.