Parent Action, Evolving, Moving Forward, Embracing Change

Parent Action: An Evolving Journey Forward

Change is not always easy; especially when it touches the heart of something we’ve built together. Yet in times of transition, we discover again what it means to grow with intention and resilience.

At Parent Action, we have always believed that supporting parents is a foundation for stronger families, healthier children, and thriving communities. Over more than a decade, we have held this truth gently and firmly: when parents feel seen, connected, and equipped, they don’t just survive: they flourish, and their confidence ripples outward into society.

Did you know? An independent evaluation by King’s College London found that of the mothers who came to our MumSpace group in Southwark at a time when many were on the threshold of needing clinical intervention, 68% had fully recovered from anxiety and depression within six months.

This rise in wellbeing is not just a statistic; it’s a testament to the power of belonging, support, and relational trust.

Parents who join Parent Action often come because they feel alone, stretched, or misunderstood. Many are navigating language barriers, limited access to services, or the weight of everyday pressures. When they step into our spaces, safe, welcoming, relational, something shifts. They find support that is both practical and emotional. They find a community that listens, learns, and cares deeply.

Josephine Namusisi-Riley has been central to this journey. For over 10 years, Josephine has led Parent Action with humility, courage, and an unwavering commitment to families in Southwark. She has helped shape a model of community organising that honours each parent’s pace, voice, and lived experience. Through her leadership, parents have not only received support but have become leaders, advocates, and agents of change in their own right.

Under Josephine’s stewardship, Parent Action expanded beyond support groups into collective action; from navigating health services to opening doors on immigration advice, housing justice, and mental health inequalities. Parents supported by this work have stood together to tackle the issues that affect whole families, not just individual struggles.

We know from research that when social support networks grow, individual resilience grows too; and that parents with stronger connections are better able to face challenges and help others. In our own work, parents report not only improvements in mental wellbeing but in confidence, support networks, and community participation.

As Josephine steps into her next chapter, she leaves behind a living legacy: a community of parents who know their worth, trust their stories, and stand together for the wellbeing of families across the borough. The foundations she helped build — rooted in relational trust, integrity, kindness, and solidarity — will continue to guide Parent Action forward.

Parent Action now faces a new moment of evolution. We trust in the strength and vision of this community: not because change is easy, but because we know what is possible when parents are given space to belong, tools to thrive, and a platform to act together.

Our evolution is purposeful. It is rooted in evidence, experience, and the belief that families are a powerful force for social justice when supported and connected.

Today, as yesterday, Parent Action stands ready to grow, adapt, and continue making a difference: for parents, for children, and for the society we all share.

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“ Leadership that listens creates communities that last. Josephine’s legacy lives on in parents who know their worth and organise together for the common good ”

Our strength has never been certainty; it has been parents coming together, building trust, and turning care into collective action.

Reflections from Josephine Namusisi-Riley about her stewardship for these years:

"Parent Action has never been about one person. It has always been about parents discovering their own power. Over the past ten years, I’ve watched mothers arrive feeling alone and leave knowing they belong; not just in a room, but in this borough, in this movement, in shaping the future for their families. What we’ve built together is relational power: trust earned, voices lifted, and action taken side by side. As I step away, I do so with confidence; because this community knows how to organise, how to care, and how to lead. The work continues, and the power is already here.”