Creating a Gold Standard Baby Friendly environment in Family Hubs

All Family Hubs previously known as Start Well Family Centres have worked hard to ensure that families are made to feel comfortable and welcome when visiting our venues.  All venues have key information display boards which link to the provision of services and knowledge for our families to access.  The main Baby Friendly accreditation plaque is in full view in the foyer/reception as Families enter the building, Mothers are offered to feed at anytime and anywhere. If feeding mothers require extra support, then staff are required to sign post to the Community infant Feeding Team and their Health Visitor. There are a variety of sessions for mother and baby to attend e.g. baby massage, baby sensory. Entrance and rooms all display “Welcome to Breastfeed here”. Some Family Hubs have small cafes for families. We work closely with Health partners to ensure a holistic approach, through the Community Standards.  All staff are trained in Baby Friendly standards. Managers are also trained in Breastfeeding and Relationship Building. A Baby Friendly file is out and available for parents to look at, so they can see all reports from UNICEF and annual Family Hub reports submitted to UNICEF.  Apart from useful information within the file, families can then see and read that they are a significant part of the Baby Friendly journey for Wigan.

We signpost families to https://www.firststepsnutrition.org/ for unbiased research and information regarding formula and solid foods information and guidance.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/best-start-family-hubs-and-healthy-babies-guidance-for-local-authorities for information on Family Hubs and Best Start leaflets e.g Best Start to breastfeeding

https://www.lullabytrust.org.uk/ for Safe Sleep information and guidance

https://www.unicef.org.uk/babyfriendly/ for information on the Baby Friendly Initiative and guidance documents including Caring for Baby at Night 

https://www.booktrust.org.uk/ for information on early reading and activities for using promoting close and loving relationships.  Every baby receives a free Booktrust baby pack when the family register the birth or from their Health Visitor or Family Hub

https://anya.health/contact-and-support/ for information on Anya app which is supported by GM for Wigan mothers .

Initial steps to become a UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative ( BFI)UK for Wigan Council began in early 2019. A meeting was held to introduce a project for Baby Boxes and Maternity Infant Feeding and Neo Natal Lead WWL Hospital was keen for Start Well Family Centres to be involved. Discussions were held to introduce Start Well Family Centres to BFI. We sent a request of interest to UNICEF which then followed the application for accreditation for Baby Friendly UK.  This was well received and supported by Assistant Director & Service Lead.  We were assessed and gained accreditation as Baby Friendly in December 2019.

• To ensure Family Hubs are adhering to Community Baby Friendly Standards including the WHO Code of the Marketing of Breastmilk substitutes.
• To strengthen relationships with partners for a consistent approach to infant feeding and providing support at the right level to encourage close and loving relationships between baby and parents.
• To create welcoming, inclusive spaces for Breastfeeding mothers offering a private space if required with comfortable chairs and a drink.
• Be supported with their feeding choices through ante natal classes, Family Hub sessions.

There was an initial meeting between Wigan Hospital and Health visiting Infant Feeding teams and Start Well Family Centres. A compliance report was put together by the Maternity and Community Infant Feeding and Specialist Feeding Services.  They completed an audit of implementation in November 2019 for the Family Centres to prepare us for the External Accreditation Assessment by UNICEF Ambassadors in 2019. As a council we then achieved full accreditation in December 2019.

The following 2 years we embedded the programme during the COVID period within the centres and completed biannual audits to ensure compliance for the standards. We were assessed again in January 2022 and were Re- Accredited as Baby Friendly.  With the success of this we were invited to work towards Achieving Sustainability and aim for the prestigious UNICEF Baby Friendly UK Gold Award. 

In 2023, twelve months after re accreditation, we successfully achieved this which demonstrates acknowledgement of the hard work and dedication of all staff involved and at the time we were only the second council nationally to achieve Gold in Maternity, Health Visiting and Start Well Children Centre services. Biannual audits continued to be held to ensure compliance and sustainability.

In the next two years we were working towards sustainability of the award and preparing for Revalidation of our Baby Friendly status. A challenging time as Start Well Family Centres were to become Family Hubs, lots of changes were in place to provide a wider 0-19 service (including additional needs up to 25) as Family Hubs were to become central points of access to wider variety of services for all families across the borough.  Also, teams and staffing levels changed. Despite the challenges of the reforming into Family Hubs, we did achieve full sustainability again in 2025 and revalidated as Gold yet again. 

Accredited December 2019

Re accredited January 2022

Gold Award Achieving Sustainability January 2023

Gold Award Revalidation of Sustainability March 2025

Next assessment due for further validation of Gold Award will be March 2028 and is likely to be an external review by UNICEF.  However, during this next two years we may have a spot check by the ambassadors, before the formal review March 2028.

• We have over 70 multi agency staff trained in Breastfeeding and Relationship Building. Majority of staff trained at Level 2 with coordinators and managers , and directors completing further  training . 
• We have collaborative working links with our Health Partners , Be Well and other organisations such as Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP) , Supportive Sloths, Spoons Neonatal support, BookTrust and WSCP.
• We are proud to be Gold and to promote Baby Friendly throughout our family work and sessions from ante natal onwards. We have Baby Friendly Champions in each Family Hub
• We audit every 6 months to ensure we meet the Baby Friendly Standards for Culture, Monitoring and Leadership. This includes venue audits, staff interviews and mother interviews.
• We have introduced the Baby Friendly pledge which has been endorsed by Council and WWL Trust with a view to raising the support for Baby Friendly and breastfeeding mothers within the wider community.
• Families are more aware of the Baby Friendly Initiative as it’s promoted through the baby sessions and Family Hub Baby Friendly information file and display boards. The Gold Award plaque is displayed in the entrance at reception in full view for all visitors to see.
• We attend the conference to keep up to date with information, practice and to link with other authorities. Greater Manchester and Blackpool have had discussions with our service lead about Wigan achieving GOLD.
• We have supported Knowsley Council and Stafford Council and shared information to support their journey for accreditation. 
• Our breastfeeding initiation rates continue to improve and last month recorded 69%

It was identified  during staff interviews that although we were reaching standards there was a need to improve knowledge for sharing information with mothers on caring for baby at nighttime  and sharing information  with pregnant mothers regarding the ante natal workshops, Although there is a good response for the sessions, some mothers report not knowing about them so this  it could be improved. Mother interviews completed highlighted some inconsistency in the approach to tasking the questions.

All Family Hub staff and wider link services will be given the revision of the 2025 WHO Code of the Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes. Promotion of the ante natal workshops to be discussed with managers and Comms. O-2 pathway will include ante natal workshops and community maternity appointments giving more evidence to reflect 1001 Critical Days in a baby’s life.

Recommendations for other councils

• Encourage Baby Friendly training at all levels to ensure consistent approaches and high standards.
• Ensure regular audits to maintain that Baby Friendly standards are met and to prevent any breach of the WHO Code.
• Build relationships with partners at an early stage to ensure consistency of approach from antenatal through pregnancy and birth.
• Create a variety of opportunities to gather feedback from families from antenatal stages onwards,

What we might have done differently

Earlier consultation with expectant mums to fully understand the positive and negative experiences at antenatal care and support with feeding choices.

Effectiveness and sustainability

The promotion of the initiative has grown from strength to strength  over the years and one of the main reasons Wigan Council have maintained their Gold Level award from is the commitment from the Guardian level to the front facing staff at the Family Hubs and dedication of the Baby Friendly volunteer who continues to support the BFI lead and provide training to staff and partners.

Key messages are given to parents at all the Early Years sessions and all staff have an excellent understanding on infant feeding, safe sleep, and brain development, which is audited biannually to sure the excellent standards remain effective.

Data suggests parent feeding choices have become more informed if families have received a supportive approach from the start of their parenting journey enabling close and loving relationships to be formed between parent/ carer and child.