About us
Who we are
The Mothers' Springboard Programme is a London-based registered charity (number 1205024), registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
Our mission and vision
Vision: A London where no mother's circumstances define her future.
Mission: To relieve financial hardship and promote inclusion for single mothers across Greater London through advice, training and practical support.
We empower mothers to rediscover their confidence, develop new skills, and build meaningful, sustainable futures for themselves and their families.
Why we exist
Many mothers are shut out of opportunity, not because they lack ability, but because of layered barriers: lost confidence, isolation, limited networks, interrupted work histories and financial pressure. For lone parents in particular, these barriers can compound over time and lead to long-term hardship.
Mothers' Springboard was founded by Shabina Ahmed, who drew on her own experience of lone parenthood and unemployment. We are a mums-led charity, and mothers help shape everything we do, from our governance to the design of each programme.
Our approach
We do not focus only on getting a job. We start with the things that hold mothers back, and combine expert-led workshops, one-to-one coaching, peer support and practical progression planning. The aim is for every mother to move from feeling stuck to taking real steps towards employment, self-employment or education.
Our programmes are delivered by around 30 volunteers, including professional speakers and coaches, many of them mothers themselves. More than 550 volunteer hours have gone into our work, supported by our Board of Trustees.
We are especially grateful to the Optimus coaching academy. When we asked for 20 coaches, more than 100 applied, and their support helped us to form an advisory board and welcome new trustees.
Our four focus areas
Economic stability
Building financial confidence and practical skills.
Confidence and identity
Rebuilding self-belief and future vision.
Access to opportunities
Coaching, career guidance and employment pathways.
Connection and community
Mentoring and peer support networks.
Our people
Our trustees bring together expertise, lived experience and a shared commitment to helping mothers access meaningful work and opportunity. They provide strategic leadership and governance, and work to remove the barriers women face in the workplace.
Shabina Ahmed
Founder and CEO
Shabina has dedicated the last 10 years to helping mothers build confidence, develop new skills and create fulfilling futures for themselves and their families. She has a deep passion for supporting mothers in finding their own passion and purpose in life, and moving from surviving to truly thriving.
Kathryn Strachan
Trustee
Kathryn is a marketing leader, entrepreneur and former founder of CopyHouse. As a trustee of Mothers’ Springboard, she supports the charity’s strategy, growth and impact for mothers across London.
Diana Flemming
Trustee
Diana is a senior HR and workforce transformation leader with over 20 years’ experience supporting people and organisations through change. She has worked closely with leaders and communities to build confidence, develop skills and create inclusive environments where people can grow and thrive. Diana is also an accredited coach with a strong belief in the power of self-belief, capability and supportive relationships. As a trustee of Mothers’ Springboard, she is passionate about empowering women to rebuild confidence, develop practical skills and create new opportunities for themselves and their families.
Katie Gunstone
Trustee
Katie is a Digital Product and Leadership Lead with over a decade of experience delivering innovation and driving business transformation. Alongside her corporate career, she is a certified coach and the founder of Mums Achieving More, a coaching practice supporting mothers returning to work and pursuing their professional and personal goals. Based in Surrey and a mum of two young boys, Katie is passionate about helping women thrive.
How donations are used
Donations fund our free workshops, one-to-one coaching, expert-led sessions and community peer support for mothers in Greater London. As a registered charity we are accountable to the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1205024).
Our impact
Confidence that turns into action
Figures are from participants who completed our final evaluation of the September to November 2025 programme.
100%
reported increased confidence
Average confidence rose from 4.2 to 7.5 out of 10.
+69
Net Promoter Score
Participants rated how likely they were to recommend us at 9.2 out of 10, and none were detractors.
7.8/10
clarity about next steps
Mothers left with a much clearer picture of where they are heading.
85%
attended all or most sessions
Strong commitment from mothers juggling family life.
77%
used one-to-one coaching
Personal coaching alongside the group workshops.
92%
said the programme was inclusive
Inclusive and culturally sensitive, and they found our tools useful.
Real steps towards independence
Within weeks of finishing, mothers were already moving forward. Mothers could choose more than one pathway.
62%
chose a pathway into employment
54%
chose a pathway into self-employment
38%
chose education or training
38%
submitted at least one job application
38%
created a 90-day action plan
38%
reported an increase in weekly net income
38%
improved their household budgeting
23%
improved their childcare arrangements
15%
improved their access to benefits and entitlements
Rated highly all the way through
At the mid-point of the programme, mothers already rated their experience very highly (average scores out of 10).
9.3
likelihood to recommend
8.9
rating for support from facilitators and coaches
8.9
session engagement
8.6
usefulness of the content
Who we reach
We are here for the mothers who are most often left out of traditional employability services.
- Around seven in ten mothers who registered were receiving Universal Credit or another means-tested benefit.
- Almost six in ten were lone parents.
- Around two thirds came from Black, African or Caribbean backgrounds.
- Half rated their connection to opportunities and networks at 3 out of 10 or lower when they started.
A community that grows
Engagement grew across the programme. In the first workshop very few mothers spoke up, and by the final session most were actively taking part in discussions and activities.
Four graduates have stepped forward as Programme Ambassadors, volunteering to support outreach and encourage the next group of mothers.
How we measure our impact
We collect information from mothers when they register, at the middle of the programme and at the end, so we can see what changes for them. We ask about confidence, connection to opportunities, clarity about next steps and practical progress.
Next we will follow mothers up six months after the programme to track employment, training and income. We learn from every group: feedback has already led us to add more time in workshops for mothers to start tasks together, use our members' area for recordings and resources, and introduce closer check-ins between sessions.
Mothers moving forward
See how participants turned insight into action, in their own words.
What is next
Our focus is to support mothers through empowerment and education: building confidence, skills and clear plans for the future.
We also plan, in the future, to offer practical financial help to mothers as they start their careers, such as vouchers of up to £250 towards the things that make a first step possible. This is something we are working towards, and we will share details here as it develops. We are also working to grow our referral partnerships, so that more mothers can find us, and to keep improving how we measure long-term results.
Help a mother take her next step
Your gift funds free workshops, one-to-one coaching and peer support for mothers across Greater London.