The Latest - Blog - September 2026Why We Built The Working Parents Drop In Clinic (And Why It Was So Easy To Say Yes To)
Most support for working parents lives in a policy document somewhere. Nobody reads it until they need it, and by then it is often too late to help.
I wanted to build something different. Something that did not need a big rollout, a change management plan, or six months of sign off. Something a manager could put in place because it was simply the right thing to do, not because it had been through three rounds of approval.
That is how The Working Parents Drop In Clinic came about.What The Working Parents Drop In Clinic Actually Is two hours, in your workplace or online. Up to six parents get a confidential twenty minute slot each. No referral, no long process, no form to fill in first. Just a chance to talk something through with someone who understands.It is not only for mums coming back from maternity leave.
It is for any parent juggling work and family life: The dad who travels for work and misses bedtime more than he would like, the mum who has been back at work for two years and still has not found her rhythmThe manager who wants to talk through how to support someone on their team without making it feel like a big dealWhy It Is So Easy To Put In Place Before launch, I spoke to a number of HR and People teams about the idea. The response told me I was building the right thing.
"I love how accessible it is."
"So easy to implement. I can sign off that budget myself without having to get director level sign off."
"This is amazing. Something so easy to put into place."
That last point matters more than it might sound. A lot of support for working parents stalls because it needs a business case, a budget holder, and months of planning before anything actually happens. The Drop In Clinic does not. It is a single, clearly priced session that most People teams can approve themselves, without waiting on anyone else. What This Means For Your Business Supporting working parents does not have to be complicated to be meaningful. A two hour session will not fix everything. But it gives people somewhere real to go, and it gives your organisation something concrete to point to and say, we actually did something about this.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is the Working Parents Drop In Clinic? It is a two hour confidential coaching session, held in your workplace or online, offering up to six twenty minute slots for working parents. There is no referral and no form to complete beforehand.
Who is the Drop In Clinic for? Any working parent, not only mums returning from maternity leave. This includes dads, long returners still finding their rhythm, and managers who want guidance on supporting their team.
How much does it cost and how quickly can we book it? It is a single, clearly priced session that most people teams can approve without director level sign off, so it can be in place far faster than a typical wellbeing programme.
Do we need a referral process to use it? No. Parents book a confidential slot directly. There is nothing for them to fill in or be referred through first.
If you want to bring The Working Parents Drop In Clinic into your workplace, I would love to talk. Zoe :) - September 2026
