Infant Feeding Peer Support Worker

Job description

Job responsibilities

To support the development and co-ordination of the Volunteer Breastfeeding Support service as part of the universal 0-19 Integrated Public Health Service inWarrington. To support and coordinate the volunteers ensuring staff are working inline with Trust policies and procedures . 

Promote and support breastfeeding in Warrington, including working with healthservices, children’s centres, and families in the community; developing andmaintaining breastfeeding support groups, especially in areas of inequality;

Provide support to the Infant Feeding Coordinator for key breastfeeding initiatives including Baby Friendly Initiative, peer mentoring and communications.

Gathering information on needs and the views of women, writing reports, evaluating services, retrieving and managing data and information.

To support and coordinate the volunteers ensuring staff are working in line with Trust policies and procedures.

To support the Infant Feeding Specialist in the development of all new volunteers for example, recruitment, induction, signposting for training processes.

To work with other partners i.e. volunteers, Health Visitors, Midwives and Breastfeeding Groups to support women both in the hospital and community settings.

Work with families in the community to promote, support and encourage breastfeeding where necessary, including working with peer supporters, nursery nurses, Children’s Centre staff, midwives and health visitors

Support the Infant Feeding Specialist as necessary, in rolling out training, coordinating and planning the peer mentoring programme

To support the Infant Feeding Coordinators in all relevant tasks to work towards achieving the UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative award .This includes collecting data as required by the Infant Feeding Coordinators to monitor progress towards achievement of Baby Friendly standards.

To support and promote the principles of the UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative best practice standards in order to attain full accreditation of the UK Baby Friendly hospital and community awards.

To attend staff and breastfeeding related meetings of the i.e. Infant Feeding Operational Group and Breastfeeding Strategy Group.

To work as part of the Breastfeeding Team ensuring close collaboration and, where appropriate, joint working with colleagues. To act as a representative of the Breastfeeding Team to health and social care staff to support joint working practice

Organise communications events, presentations, workshops, ensuring all logistical requirements are met; Design and produce breastfeeding, notices and other presentational materials; overseeing all communications to promote breastfeeding, including managing levels of products and stock.

Collate, co-ordinate and communicate information for reports, planning documents or policies for breastfeeding. Responsible for the maintenance and updating of the volunteer database, collating quintile one and two data as required.

Managing queries and requests from women and staff in partner agencies and the voluntary sector and offering information and advice, including referrals on electronic systems such as system 1

To support the strategic work of the Infant Feeding Coordinator and undertake project support tasks as required.

To ensure that statistical data required demonstrating progress towards achievement of breastfeeding targets is collected and provided to the Commissioner.

To undertake appropriate professional development as identified in the post holders personal development plan.

To undertake any other duties appropriate to grade which may be required to meet the changing needs and priorities of the service in consultation with the post holder.

This list of duties is not intended to be exhaustive, but indicates the main areas of work and may be subject to change after consultation with the postholder to meet the changing needs of the organisation. 

Person Specification

Skills and Attributes

Essential

• Excellent communication skills demonstrating tact, sensitivity and diplomacy at all levels.
• Ability to demonstrate knowledge of breast feeding including having awareness of UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative
• Ability and confidence in working with individuals and with small groups;
• Excellent oral and written skills including presentation skills and ability to produce reports;
• Organisational skills and ability to prioritise workload and work under pressure., and able to work to deadlines
• To be self-motivatingand work with the minimum of supervision in an organized, efficient and effective manner in order to maximise the use of own time
• Good team member with a proven ability to support a multi professional team.

Qualifications

Essential

• Recognised breastfeeding training course certificate

Desirable

• Recognised breastfeeding counsellor qualification
• Foundation Degree or Equivalent Experience

Experience

Essential

• Demonstrable practical experience of supporting breast feeding mothers;
• Experience in data collection, analysis and completion of written
• reports;
• experience of using IT systems, including MS Office applications such as Excel and Access;
• Experience of developing initiatives and implementing change.

Desirable

• Experience of organising and carrying out training sessions
• Previous experience as a breastfeeding volunteer
• Experience of supporting volunteers

Additional Criteria

Essential

• The ability to travel Independently across the Trust.
• The ability to work flexibly in accordance with service needs including some evening and/or weekend work

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Springfield Avenue

Grappenhall

Warrington

WA4 2NW

Employer's website

http://bridgewater.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)