Best Start Project Peer Support Volunteers

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Best Start provides peer support to new parents across North Tyneside. Volunteers with their parenting experience are trained to support other parents, with a key focus on breastfeeding. Breastfeeding can help protect babies from ill health. It also supports close and loving relationships to help give babies the best possible start in life.

This North Tyneside-based project is led by VODA and supported by the 0 – 19 Children’s Public Health Service and Public Health.

When deciding whether to breastfeed or considering stopping, mothers tend to talk over concerns with close friends or family. Unfortunately, due to a culture in the UK where few women breastfeed, social networks often lack positive breastfeeding experiences. The project aims to fill this gap by linking mothers with parenting experience (peer supporters) to new mothers who may need the support, not just with breastfeeding, but also with safe sleep, feeding, normal infant behaviour and responsive parenting.

Peer support can also help to reduce parental isolation and allow new parents to meet other parents in their community. 

ABOUT THIS ROLE

Peer support is when people use their own experiences to help others with the aims of:

• Bring together people with shared experiences to support each other
• Provide a space where a person feels accepted and understood
• Treat everyone's experiences as being equally important
• Involve both giving and receiving support

In peer support, everyone’s views and experiences are equally valued, rather than anyone being seen as more of an expert.

Volunteer peer supporters for the Best Start Project will work closely with the 0 – 19 team and the infant feeding coordinator. Volunteers will work together in pairs or with 2 other peer supporters. They will volunteer in community venues supporting families with basic information sharing and support around: 

• Infant feeding
• Safe sleep
• Coping with crying
• Normal Newborn behaviour
• Emotional health
• Transition to parenthood
• Signposting
  

What skills do I need?

WHAT WE ASK OF YOU:

• A mother who has breastfeeding experience and who has a positive attitude towards breastfeeding OR have experience or knowledge supporting families with young babies or children.
• Able to attend a half day training session with the 0-19 infant feeding team.
• Willing to have a DBS check done, in line with all staff and volunteers who work with, or have access to children and babies.
• Willing to complete safeguarding training.
• Willing to attend regular peer support networking/update sessions.
• Willing to commit to ongoing progression training.
• You will commit to support at least one of our weekly term-time Best Start sessions located around the borough.
  

It would be great if you could also be: 

• Enthusiastic about supporting families in the antenatal period.
• Caring.
• Able to work well as part of a team.
• A good communicator.
• Accepting and understanding towards people from different social, religious and cultural backgrounds.
• Reliable and adaptable.

SUPPORT FOR YOU

Volunteers will be able to  access the following support from VODA and the 0-19 team:

• An induction pack.
• Training based on the Solihull Peer Breastfeeding Support.
• Telephone and email support at all times during your volunteering.
• Reimbursement of any travel expenses incurred whilst volunteering.
• Access to online guidance on Safeguarding and staying safe.
• All volunteers will be covered by VODA and North Tyneside Council’s policies and procedures.
• Supervisions with the North Tyneside Infant Feeding Co-ordinator.
• Group supervisions to review activities.
  

About North Tyneside VODA

North Tyneside VODA supports volunteers and voluntary and community sector organisations across the borough of North Tyneside. We provide support, advice on training on a range of topics including starting and setting up a group, governance issues, charity law, funding, finance, involving volunteers and more.

When do I need to be available?

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