Diploma in Antenatal Education

Antenatal teachers meet women and men at a critical point in their lives. Having a baby often means that people want to review their lives, make changes and plan for the future in a very committed way. As an antenatal teacher, you are there to help them do this. As an antenatal teacher, your job is to ensure that the people who come to your classes have the information they need to be able to make their own decisions, as well as the opportunity to think about what kind of birth they want and what kind of parents they would like to be. You will also be helping the women and men who you meet at classes to get to know each other, so that they can support each other through pregnancy and afterwards. NCT antenatal classes are famous for bringing people together and friendships are formed that often last a lifetime.

Requirements for becoming an antenatal teacher

In order to be considered for the NCT’s Antenatal Teacher Training Programme, you need to fulfil the following criteria:

• You must be able to demonstrate relevant personal experience from which you can draw upon, in order to show that you have the potential to support parents in a constructive and reflective manner, during the life changing transition to parenthood.
• You must have a committment to the ethos and values of the NCT
• You must be, or become, a member of the NCT

Diploma in Breastfeeding Counselling

Breastfeeding counsellors are all mothers who have breastfed their babies. You know how worthwhile and enjoyable breastfeeding can be but you are also aware of the help and support that many new mothers need. Breastfeeding isn’t always easy and many mothers are taken by surprise if they run into difficulties. As a breastfeeding counsellor, you will help women to overcome concerns, whether large or small, and to feel comfortable with breastfeeding. You will be there to listen to any mother who wants to contact you and to share her problems, offering mother-to-mother support, information and counselling where appropriate. It is your role to help build a breastfeeding mother’s confidence in her own ability to cope and to help her to make her own decisions with the benefit of evidence-based information.

Requirements for becoming a Breastfeeding counsellor

In order to become an NCT breastfeeding counsellor you need to:

• be an NCT member
• have breastfed your own baby for six months or longer
• have an interest in the subject
• be open to developing counselling skills
• be a good listener
• have a warm caring approach
• contact your Branch as they will need your input in any grant applications and will also support you during your studies.
• be available to fulfil the programme leading to an NCT Licence to Practise and the Diploma of Higher Education Breastfeeding Counselling (NCT)
• be committed to working as a Breastfeeding Counsellor for a minimum of three years.

Diploma in Postnatal Group Facilitation

Postnatal leaders support parents during the year after the birth of their child. This is a time of great change for every parent and there are may challenges as well as joys. You will be there to support and encourage new parents so that they have the best experience possible at this exciting time of their lives. You will run postnatal courses and drop-ins giving parents the support and confidence that they need in their new role, as well as having the opportunity to share experiences and knowledge with each other. You will also be helping the women and possibly men who come to your courses get to know each other so that they can carry on giving each other support even after they have moved on from the group.

Requirements for becoming a postnatal leader

In order to be considered for the NCT’s Postnatal Leader Training Programme, you need to fulfil the following criteria:

• You must have been the main carer for an infant under 6 months of age. Usually this will be a baby to whom you are a parent, individuals adopting an infant under 6 months of age will also be eligible. Occasionally, exceptions to this criterion may be given. In such a situation you need to write to: The Postnatal Tutor Co-ordinators, C/o Educational Manager, The NationalChildbirth Trust, Alexandra House, Oldham Terrace, Acton, London W3 6NH explaining why you think you should be considered for training. You must still go through the usual selection interview procedure and be accepted by a tutor
• You must be, or become, a member of the NCT.