Breastfeeding Supporter (Infant Feeding Peer Supporter – Epping Forest)

Barnardo’s is committed to providing ‘Better Outcomes for More Children’. Our children’s services volunteers help the charity to deliver essential services in local communities, providing support to over 300,000 children, young people and their families. This role provides a great opportunity to join our fantastic children’s services and help make a real difference.

Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service brings together a range of children’s community services that are free at the point of delivery. It’s provided by HCRG in partnership with Barnardo’s on behalf of Essex County Council, West Essex CCG and the NHS.

The focus across all our services is on making sure that everyone in Essex has the best possible start in life through community services that are accessible, high quality and meet the identified needs of children, young people, and families.

We deliver broad areas of support:

1. Health Visiting: e.g. antenatal contact, transition to parenthood, new baby review, maternal mental health, wellbeing and development of children under 1 year and 2-3 year reviews, support to ‘be ready for school’
2. Parenting Support: e.g. Infant feeding support, weaning toilet training, school entry review and childcare confidence support
3. School Nursing: e.g. support for young people in schools with wellbeing and health concerns, Chat Health an online support service
4. Family Health: e.g. substance misuse, contraception advice, nutrition support, mental health (maternal & infant), smoking cessation.
5. Support for ages 5-19: e.g. dental care, review of immunisation status, support with any physical, emotional or developmental problems, provides children, parents and school staff with information on specific health issues, measuring height and weight
6. Support for young people with special educational needs and disabilities up to the age of 25

We are looking for warm and friendly volunteers to welcome our service users to our Healthy Family Hubs / Healthy Family Delivery sites.

This role would suit mum’s who have breastfed or are currently breastfeeding and want to support other mothers to have a positive breastfeeding experience. The aim of the role is to promote, protect and sustain breastfeeding in their local area.

Volunteers will provide support and guidance around breastfeeding and formula/bottle feeding, ensuring parents who choose to formula feed do so as safely as possible in line with nationally agreed guidance.

Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service follow the Unicef UK Baby Friendly Initiative.

In addition to Barnardos Volunteer induction training, our infant feeding peer support volunteers will be required to complete Breastfeeding and Relationship Building training provided by Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service.