Family Hubs in Northumberland praised by UNICEF for helping new parents with feeding their infants
Northumberland County Council’s Family Hubs have been praised for their support for breastfeeding mothers.
The county’s support network for parents and carers has received the UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Award following a rigorous assessment in recognition of staff’s efforts to better support families with feeding and developing close relationships with their babies.
The assessment report praised Family Hubs for a “very high standard” of support for pregnant women and new mothers as well as for “amazing environments that reflect Baby Friendly standards.”
Inspectors also noted that the mothers surveyed “reported a 100% happiness and kindness rating when attending and communicating with the staff and service.”
Cllr Guy Renner-Thompson, cabinet member for young people, said: "We are very proud that Northumberland’s Family Hubs have achieved full Baby Friendly status.
“This means mothers in Northumberland can be confident that they will receive high standards of care and support to give their children the best start in life.
"In Northumberland, we want to ensure that breastfeeding mothers are made to feel welcome wherever they may be.”
Amy Berry, the Family Hubs’ designated infant feeding coordinator, added: “In Northumberland’s Family Hubs, we set out to make sure that all mothers and babies are supported to form a close and loving relationship, whatever their choice of feeding method, as this is the best start for every baby.”
Among other work, Family Hubs run infant feeding drop-in sessions, delivered by the Growing Healthy Northumberland infant feeding team, which offer new parents the chance to access expert support and advice.
Sam Weston, who attends the sessions in Bedlington with her 11-week-old son DJ, said: “You can get advice or sometimes we just sit and chat while we are feeding about other things too, like the sleepless nights. It is great to know the support is there.”
Mum-of-two, Esther Huss, who joins the sessions with her son Cosmo, said: “Breastfeeding was something that was important to me and I wanted to do, but I was really struggling at first.
“I came along to the Family Hub and they have been fantastic and just so supportive, providing lots of reassurance. It meant so much to me and I love coming here, it feels like a family.”