Released on: 19 October 2011

NCT welcomes the ‘Preparation for Birth and Beyond’ resource pack, launched by health minister Anne Milton today.

Aimed at all those in the NHS, local authorities and the voluntary sector who run groups for expectant and new parents, the resource aims to help practitioners meet the needs of mothers, babies and fathers, and provide guidance on how to engage and enable parents to give their child a positive start in life.

The Preparation for Birth and Beyond (PBB) programme has been developed by a multi-disciplinary group of health professionals, voluntary bodies including NCT, and the Department of Health. It explores six themes, aiming to help mothers and fathers-to-be acquire the practical skills they need to cope with labour, care for their baby and nurture their own relationship as they grow into their new roles. The programme is based on the premise that if parents are confident and able to work together to bring up their baby, that child is more likely to thrive.

NCT is offering to run PBB courses for NHS trusts and children’s centres, and has experience of engaging hard to reach families. The courses incorporate breastfeeding education to a BFI standard. 

Mary Newburn, Head of Research and Information at NCT, the UK’s largest charity for parents, said:

“This new initiative provides a great opportunity to highlight the potential of working with families during pregnancy to build parents’ confidence. NCT has been leading antenatal courses for over 50 years and we were delighted to have the opportunity to work with colleagues at the Department of Health, and with other voluntary sector experts, to develop the Preparing for Birth and Beyond resource pack.

“This approach emphasises the value of creating opportunities for parents to become part of a resourceful, mutually-supportive network of local parents. It encourages parents to value and develop opportunities to get help from their family and friends, as this can help to sustain and guide them through the many challenges that the transition to parenthood brings. Good preparation also, crucially, involves letting parents know which professionals and other agencies they can turn to if they have specific questions or difficulties.”

The pack is available here.

 

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