Breastfeeding provides babies and mums with long-term health benefits, and we want to support mums to both start and continue breastfeeding.

Public Health Dorset is changing the way breastfeeding support services are delivered from April. The new service, provided by national breastfeeding charity Families and Babies (FAB), has been commissioned in line with recommendations from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and will ensure all mums across all areas of Dorset will receive consistent and effective breastfeeding support.

The new service, which starts on 1 April, will continue to support the existing network of knowledgeable and experienced peer supporters currently facilitating breastfeeding group support within Children’s Centres and other community venues.

All mums will be contacted soon after birth to ensure they are aware of the service and how to access it. The service will offer support by telephone, social media and face-to-face in a number of settings, including maternity wards and home visits for mums least likely to breastfeed.

The service will be run by a number of paid staff and volunteer peer supporters. All staff and volunteers will have CERTA accredited training so they can provide support and information to mums and will work alongside midwives, health visitors and children’s centres to make sure mums are able to access the support they need.

NHS services, provided by midwives and health visitors, will continue to provide evidence-based, skilled breastfeeding support for mums who require this. The new peer support service will not deliver clinical services but will aim to help mums access these services when they are required

By following NICE guidelines – building on excellent peer support while maintaining skilled support within NHS services – we believe that mums will continue to receive a really good service, regardless of where they live.