Neonatal Leave & Pay Act, Prem Aware schools and how employers can support NICU parents with Catriona from The Smallest Things | S3E53
Last year on the podcast, we spoke to Catriona Ogilvy, founder of The Smallest Things and heard all about why she was called to create the charity after the premature birth of both her sons.
In the time since then, The Smallest Things has been very busy! From their involvement in the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act, to encouraging schools to become Prem Aware through their award scheme and also asking employers to sign up to their Employer With Heart Charter, they really are trying to change the world that NICU parents and children live in.
So, in today’s episode, I’m sitting down with Catriona for a catch up and to hear all about the work the charity’s been doing. We’re also discussing their plans for the future too, and how they’re campaigning for changes that will bring about better mental health for NICU parents and children in the long term.
In this episode, we’re chatting about:
- How Catriona’s background and time in NICU led to creating The Smallest Things charity
- The petition signed by over 300,000 that led to a change in parental leave legislation and how it affects NICU parents
- What The Smallest Things are doing to encourage employers to support NICU parents more
- Catriona’s mental health campaigns
- What you need to be aware of if your NICU child is starting school
Take what you need!
[00:48] Catriona’s story
[03:51] The Smallest Things charity’s work
[07:43] Support from employers for NICU parents
[14:48] Mental health campaigning
[22:08] Supporting NICU children in schools
[33:03] Advice for those in the thick of it
[34:52] Connect with Catriona and The Smallest Things
A huge thank you to Emma at Cover My Bubble for supporting our podcast - you can find out more about all that Cover My Bubble offer at www.covermybubble.co.uk
This Episode’s Links & Further Reading:
Listen to Catriona’s previous episode
Connect with Miracle Moon:
Connect with our guest, Catriona from The Smallest Things: