Baby-Friendly Award for University of Worcester

The University of Worcester has received an award in recognition of the high levels of breastfeeding training provided to its Midwifery students.

The University has been awarded the prestigious Baby Friendly Award from Unicef UK as part of their Baby Friendly Initiative.

Toni Martin, Head of Department and Programme Lead for the BSc Midwifery Programme said, “We are delighted to have received this award from Unicef UK. We decided to work with the Baby Friendly Initiative to ensure a high standard of training in breastfeeding for all the students graduating from our midwifery course here at the University.”

Set up by Unicef and the World Health Organisation, the Baby Friendly Initiative is a global programme which provides a practical and effective way for health services to improve care provided for all mothers and babies.

“We know that many women give up on breastfeeding before they want to because of difficulties which could have been prevented if skills help had been on hand,” Ms Martin said. “By ensuring that our students are fully trained in how to help a mother breastfeed her child, more women will be able to breastfeed their babies for longer.”

Within the UK, the initiative works with UK public services to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding and to strengthen mother-baby and family relationships.

The Baby Friendly University Award was first launched in the UK in 2008 to recognise that a university has implemented best practice in breastfeeding training and has passed through an external assessment by Unicef UK staff.

“We are delighted that the University of Worcester has received this award,” said Sue Ashmore, Baby Friendly Initiative Programme Director. “Surveys shows us that most mothers want to breastfeed but don’t always get the support they need. Becoming Baby Friendly Accredited means that the University of Worcester is addressing this problem and aiming to ensure more mothers can successfully breastfeed their babies in the future.”