About Plan of Action

The idea for Plan of Action came from the lived experience of our founder and his desire to help men after baby loss. John encountered several obstacles that complicated the grieving process for him, after experiencing miscarriage in October 2021. These included a lack of appropriate leave from work, lack of understanding from healthcare providers and a scarcity of resources targeted specifically towards helping men. As a result, he decided to set up Plan of Action.

Why baby loss matters

Impacts of baby loss on the economy

The short-term national economic costs of miscarriage are estimated to be £471 million annually to the UK. When also considering the longer-term physical, reproductive and mental health impacts, it’s thought these costs surpass £1 billion per year.

This is comparable to prostate cancer, which is estimated to cost the UK economy £800 million per year.

Impacts of baby loss on society

The social costs include relationship break down, which can happen following pregnancy loss and repeated losses can lead to additional strain.

This can have negative impacts on family structures and family members’ mental health, consequently leading to a wider range of social issues.

Impacts of baby loss on men

Societal expectations and traditional gender stereotypes have impacts at an individual level. Men are less likely to discuss their experience or seek help for themselves. Expectations of the role they should play can also lead to negative impacts.

Research has shown that men often described a duty to offer assistance to their partner, rather than receive assistance, following miscarriage. This is a natural and admirable instinct, but risks leaving men with unmet needs that result in long-term harm to mental health and relationships.

The context

Each year in the UK, around 250,000 pregnancies end before 24 weeks. The scale is huge, and there are major impacts across all areas of life and society, but losing a baby at any stage of pregnancy isn’t commonly talked about. Unfortunately, it’s still surrounded by silence and stigma.

We know that half of miscarriages before 12 weeks of pregnancy are caused by problems during the early stages of the baby’s development and, unfortunately, the baby can’t survive when it doesn’t develop normally from the start. Although this is a natural occurrence, it doesn’t necessarily mean the experience is any less painful or easier to go through.

However, there is a lot about baby loss that still isn’t known including why there are differences in miscarriage risks across different communities of women. For example, research has shown that Black women experience 40 per cent higher miscarriage rates than their White counterparts. More research is needed to address knowledge gaps about why these kinds of inequalities exist.

Our vision

In taking a targeted approach to helping men, we aim to contribute a part towards a bigger picture. This is reflected in our vision, which is:

• to achieve a future where the experience of baby loss causes less harm to people and to society.

Baby loss and men

Men’s experiences of loss are often complicated by gendered and societal norms that create barriers to recovery. And there is a significant body of academic research setting out the particular challenges men face after loss. So Plan of Action aims to provide a valuable addition to the baby loss community by helping men after baby loss.

Our mission

We have a simple mission statement:

• to help men take action after baby loss.

As a new charity, we’re focused on delivering positive impact quickly. That’s why, over the next three years, we will:

• Help 25,000 men take action to address their needs after baby loss.
• Fund and promote research to help men and to drive systemic change.
• Break the silence around men’s experience of baby loss and grief.

We will achieve this mission by:

• Developing tailored information resources, so men are informed about baby loss in a way that recognises their experience.
• Providing Action Plans, so men have the assistance they need to navigate grief and daily life after loss. 
• Inspiring people, and building momentum towards achieving our vision and mission, because awareness drives change.

Find out more about the people behind Plan of Action here.