Local children’s centres celebrating UNICEF recognition

Published Friday 9 September 2016 at 14:56

Blackburn with Darwen’s children’s centres are celebrating after achieving a prestigious ‘Baby-Friendly Award.’

The centres achieved Unicef Baby Friendly approval for the first time, one of only five groups of children’s centres in the entire UK to be awarded full Unicef accreditation.

The Baby-Friendly initiative recognises the high standard of skills and knowledge demonstrated by staff. It was set up by UNICEF and the World Health Organisation as a global programme to provide a practical and effective way for health services to improve the care provided for all mothers and babies.

In the UK, the initiative works with local authorities to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding and responsive bottle feeding, as well as to strengthen mother-baby and family relationships. Support for these relationships is important for all babies, not only those who are breastfed.

To achieve Unicef Baby Friendly status, infant feeding staff were assessed to ensure that the mothers they support are given the correct information to help them start and sustain breastfeeding, and build a strong relationship with their babies.

The centres achieved the award with the support of East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust’s Specialist Infant Feeding Team, themselves celebrating a double success after achieving the prestigious Unicef Baby Friendly Accreditation not once, but twice.

In the last two decades, breastfeeding by local mums has increased significantly. Twenty years ago, just 27 per cent of mums in East Lancashire breastfed but today that figure is up to 76 per cent, meaning more than three out of four local mums start to breastfeed.  And in Blackburn with Darwen, half of all mothers today breastfeed their babies.

Councillor Maureen Bateson, Executive Member for Children’s Services, said:

I am delighted at this achievement – this is a brilliant reflection of the dedication and hard work of our Children’s Centre staff. Breastfeeding protects babies against a wide range of serious illnesses and we want to make sure that parents receive high-quality support and information at all times.

Susan Henry, Infant Feeding Coordinator, said:

We decided to join forces with Unicef UK’s Baby Friendly initiative to increase breastfeeding rates and improve care for all mothers in Blackburn with Darwen and East Lancashire. Health Visitors along with Children Centre and Infant Feeding staff have worked really hard to gain this international recognition and the comments and praise we receive from breastfeeding mothers are really heartening.

Sue Ashmore, Unicef Baby Friendly Initiative Programme Director, said:

We are delighted that Blackburn with Darwen has achieved full Baby Friendly status.  Mothers can be confident that their midwives/health visitors will provide high standards of care.

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