At just 17, Alicia Douglas found herself nine months pregnant, living in a hostel, and facing the daunting reality that her baby’s father had been sent to prison. Alone and expecting, she began working relentlessly in any job she could find, even while heavily pregnant.
“I was out there on my own at 17,” Alicia recalls. “He was my first love, my everything. I thought we’d be together forever.”
Fast forward to 2026, and Alicia, now 41 and a mother from Smethwick, has transformed her experience into hope for others by founding Inward Parenting, a Birmingham-based support group that serves as a lifeline for single mothers navigating tough times.
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Unlike many support groups, Alicia’s understanding comes from lived experience—she knows the sting of overdue bills, the exhaustion of juggling work and childcare, and the bittersweet relief of finally carpeting one room in her council home.
“I used to think I was failing my children because I chose the wrong partners,” she says. “But looking back, those struggles shaped who I am today. My resilience has made me ambitious, and my children self-sufficient. Though it wasn’t the path I expected, it was the one life gave me—and it led to me creating this organisation to help others. I didn’t want any woman to feel isolated the way I once did.”
Her son is now 23, and her daughter, 17, is preparing for university—a stark contrast to Alicia’s own teenage years growing up in a turbulent household that included abuse and instability. At 16, living in supported housing, she met her son’s father—a man who felt like a safety net but was soon incarcerated.
“I was naïve, believing love was all we needed to make it work,” she reflects. But when he went to prison just before their son was born, the reality of single motherhood hit her hard.
Taking on every odd job she could—from handing out flyers outside a department store while eight months pregnant, to agency work wherever it took her—she pushed through physical and emotional exhaustion. Her mother became her anchor, supporting her through childbirth and beyond.
When her son was about two, the father briefly returned, but Alicia felt changed. “I was responsible for another human being now, and things just didn’t click anymore.” She has been a single mother ever since.
The early years were a constant scramble to make ends meet. She recalls pushing her son uphill to nursery, then rushing to catch a bus to a job where being late wasn’t tolerated. Bills piled up, and the stress became overwhelming. One night, seeing an overdue red bill made her break down in tears—a moment that planted the seed for Inward Parenting.
Refusing to depend on benefits after witnessing the harshness at the welfare office, Alicia focused on building a better life through work and education. She eventually moved into project coordination and climbed the ranks, all while raising her children.
Now, as she trains to become a counsellor and continues to grow Inward Parenting’s offerings, Alicia provides a comprehensive six-week programme that covers practical skills like managing finances, understanding credit scores, saving, and addressing intergenerational trauma. The programme also celebrates women, offering pampering sessions and certificates to acknowledge their strength.
“I wanted safe spaces where women can share their truths without shame,” Alicia says. “There are so many of us holding onto struggles quietly, but we are not alone.”
Currently, she is working to partner with schools and healthcare providers to expand the programme’s reach and secure funding, ensuring that more women get the support they deserve.