In April 2021 the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) and the Breastfeeding Network (BfN), in collaboration with an alliance of supporting organisations including LCGB and in consultation with public health bodies, developed a guide for re-starting and delivering support services for expectant and new parents during Covid-19.
The ‘Guide to restarting and developing support services for expectant and new parents during Covid-19’ is designed to support organisations and individuals who provide structured support for pregnant people and new parents of children under the age of two years. Although written as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic the information is relevant as it looks to maintain best practices in health, safety, and infection control.
The guide is advisory and provides best-practice principles to help organisations and individuals, safely and effectively deliver face-to-face support to new and expectant parents.
It covers considerations for delivering support for new and expectant parents in five different formats:
- Outdoor meetings
- In-venue 1:1 support
- In-venue group support
- Home visits
- Support in healthcare settings
It also covers general principles for safe service delivery, including:
- Understanding health risks, undertaking risk assessments, and developing safe operating procedures
- Support and communication for staff and volunteers involved in delivering the service
- Managing group sizes and maintaining comfortable environment spacing
- Selecting and managing safe, accessible, and hygienic venues
- Appropriate use of hygiene measures, ventilation, and personal protective equipment (PPE) where required
- Managing session timing and schedules
- Logistics and travel to and from support settings
- Incident management and reporting
- Compliance with local public health guidelines and contact-tracing frameworks if required.
The guide was created in consultation with public health authorities to ensure it reflects official safety standards. Because public health advice and regulations can evolve, please consult relevant government and public health websites for the most up-to-date regional guidance.
It is intended to support the sector’s resilience and adaptability. The core content focuses on key principles and considerations for delivering support that remain relevant across changing operational landscapes. However, we expect that it will be updated periodically to reflect evolving best practices. You can find the version number and date on the first page of the document. If you have any feedback, please get in touch with the writing team via NCT Enquiries (enquiries@nct.org.uk).
While this guide was developed primarily in line with framework structures for England, the core principles and considerations outlined are designed to be adaptable and helpful to organisations across the UK, Crown Dependencies, and Channel Islands.
To access the guide - https://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/NCT-BfN-GuideToDeliveringSupport-Covid19-V1-1.pdf