About us
The Parenting Network CIC exists to strengthen families and improve outcomes for children. We believe every parent deserves the support, confidence, and community to give their child the best start in life.
Our purpose is to provide inclusive, accessible, and evidence-informed services that meet families where they are, at home, in trusted community spaces, and within their networks. We work alongside families, valuing their lived experience, and tailoring our approach to individual needs.
We run a wide range of early years projects, including Bump & Baby (birth preparation, baby massage, and early parenting support), the Portsmouth Baby Bank (urgent essentials for families in crisis), Dadzclub (peer-led fatherhood support), Families (Universal family support) and the Young Mums’ Club.
In 2024/25, we worked with over 27,000 adults & children across Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight. Our work is focused on areas of deprivation, where over 25% of children live in poverty, and where barriers to accessing traditional services are high.
Our aim is simple: to improve child outcomes, strengthen parenting skills, and reduce isolation by building resilient families and connected communities.
Our Story
Portsmouth born father of two, Matt has worked in the third sector for more than 25 years supporting some of Portsmouth's most vulnerable people and is now using his skills and experience as a leading social entrepreneur across several sectors.
For Matt, becoming a parent brought about deeply repressed feelings of paternal abandonment and rejection from his absent birth father and this had a huge impact on choices he made around being a better father for his children, including one child with complex additional needs.
His experiences highlighted gaps in support for a growing number of Dads who wanted to be more involved in their children’s lives. From this journey into parenthood, Dadzclub, a supportive community for fathers was conceived.
The Parenting Network was established a year later after Matt identified further gaps in support for other marginalised parent groups, in particular, young parents. Today with the support of a very talented team of professionals, The Parenting Network has grown into one of the area's leading third sector family support services .
