A CHARITY which helps mums and dads struggling to bond with their babies is celebrating after a report praised it as a resounding success.

The first Oxford Parent Infant Project (OXPIP) impact report revealed 91 per cent of people it worked with benefited from the help it gave them.

The charity was launched 15 years ago and now works with more than 800 people a year, such as mums who are suffering from post-natal depression.

The report was commissioned to look at how well it had served for parents over the past financial year and to plan for the future.

Nine out of 10 clients saw an improvement in the quality of their relationship with their children.

Executive director Adrian Sell said he was delighted with the news. He said: “We know how difficult it can be for families at this point in life and if we can get it right it sets things up well for the future.

“We know having good relationships at that stage has a big impact on physical and mental health so it is good to be part of that. The report demonstrated that the need for OXPIP’s work is even greater today than it was when we were founded 15 years ago.

“Very few therapeutic services work with the baby and parent together and with a focus on the relationship between them both.”

OXPIP also provides training for health visitors, midwives, early years practitioners and therapists.

Mr Sell said the organisation was concerned Oxfordshire County Council’s proposals which could see all 44 children’s centres close in order to save more than £6m.

He said: “About half of our work is funded by the county council and we know there are rising levels of children in need which puts rising pressure on the county council.

“We are in conversation with them about how we will support families in the future and stop them needing expensive services further down the line.

“I am worried about the possibility of cutting support from children’s centres for families who are not at child protection levels but still need help.”

NSPCC head of strategy and development Christopher Cuthbert said the organisation had a big role to play as more cuts were made to services.

He said: “With the challenges of austerity and the continued social legacy of recession, support services like those provided by OXPIP are more important than ever in helping families not only to cope but to thrive.

“I very much hope that through the essential work that OXPIP does every day we can create a stable and secure start for the adults of the future and create communities where acknowledging how hard it is to be a parent is encouraged and accessing help is welcomed.”