Breastfeeding Peer Support

Peers supporters are mothers or grandmothers who are passionate about breastfeeding, have successfully breastfed at least one child and have a desire to help other mothers in their local community do the same. This is achieved by facilitating a local mother to mother support group, by building confidence and developing connections.

What does this role involve?

• Meeting, greeting, and supporting parents at face-to-face breast-feeding peer support groups or in the hospital
• Sign posting to relevant services and groups
• Promoting supervision topics and displaying relevant literature
• Keeping group resources up to date
• Assisting with setting up and tidying away the room and resources
• Normalising breast feeding in the community

Skills Required: 

• Experience of having breastfed a child (either currently or in the past). All ages are welcome.
• A non-judgemental and friendly approach
• Good communication skills and the ability to relate to both adults and children in a virtual and a face-to-face breastfeeding peer support group setting
• Reliable, with the ability to be flexible and adapt to different situations

Frequency/commitment of the role:

Breastfeeding support groups take place on weekdays and are based in a variety of venues across Torbay including our Family Hubs. Times and days of each group vary by location and drop-in sessions run for roughly 2 hours. You will be required to take part in at least 4 group supervision/update sessions each year alongside regular volunteering. Breastfeeding Peer Supporters should also be willing to commit to at least 1 year of volunteering as a trained peer supporter.

Training:

Prior to starting this role, you will be required to complete a level 2 accredited 8 week training course (weekly 2-hour sessions, including breaks) alongside the volunteer training processes required by Action for Children who lead on this for our Torbay Family Hubs. Through training you’ll learn about how breastfeeding works, responsive feeding, & the UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative. You’ll also pick up lots of information on positioning, attachment, longer term breastfeeding, problem solving and communication skills.

Other details:

Peer Supporters are mentored by the Torbay Family Hub Breastfeeding Team in addition to our Peer Support Coordinator in Torbay. You can expect to receive regular support and supervision when carrying out your volunteer role including a comprehensive induction before you start.

If you would like to find out more contact Torbay Family Hub on 01803 210200 or go to https://bit.ly/TorbayFamilyHubVolunteerOpportunities