Anyone who has started a BF support group...

[PoopMonster]

How did you get funding?

To give some background: there's no BF support group in my area (quite a large geographical area made up of lots of small towns/villages). The nearest group is 30 mins one way by car, never mind public transport).

I thought I'd set one up and looked into training, did a peer supporter module and got now got the certificate. I approached the local HVs but was told there's no support group as the wider NHS trust figures show 30% are still BFing at 8 weeks so apparently we're OK...

Thought I'd look elsewhere but local council/lottery funding etc need one year of accounts before they'll help, and won't contribute to running costs such as rent. I've found an ideal central venue for £6/hr, but I can't fund this myself. Also I can't get a clear answer about whether I'd need some sort of public liability insurance.

The frustrating thing is everyone in a position to comment has agreed with me that a) we DO need a group and b) it does ideally need to be free for ladies to attend.

Despite all this I really do want to go ahead with this group, and soon as I'm on mat leave until April then go back to work 3 days a week (so would like to get things ticking over by then).

Any ideas/experiences at all would be very welcome (I have access to leaflets, materials etc, and already know where to publicise - this is mostly a question about funding, esp the first year).

To run a group, it would be sensible to get full supporter training, rather than just peer supporter training.

What part of the country are you in? ABM training can be done remotely.

What sort of funding do you need? Generally, for a group, you mostly just need space in a Children's Centre or similar.

Oh, and I think you'd have better luck setting up a group under the support of one of the established breastfeeding groups. Maybe talk to the people who run the group 30 minutes away to find out how they make it work?

Thanks NotQuite - it was ABM and after I've set up the group I do want to start counsellor training too. I'm trying to be sensible about how much I take on and at what time, I'm a volunteer with another unrelated organisation already and have just had my 2nd DC which means I have to manage my free time carefully so as not to let any existing commitments down.

I did speak with the consultant who runs the group further away but the response was very much "we're NHS, so we can't really help you". They did point me to the local HVs but that's been a bit of a dead end.

ABM iirc will cover insurance for affiliated groups (so if/when I start their training) but not cover running costs - which is fair enough IMO.

Quick question - you've got access to materials and leaflets. Do you know what you really need funding for?
I volunteer at 3 groups and our costs are tiny as we are staffed by volunteers. Our costs are basically leaflets and materials! Other than that we've bought some pillows and a couple of camping chairs (for under £30). You really don't need much.

Obviously the big issue is the room but we have space in local children's centres. They are keen to show they are breastfeeding friendly and offering breastfeeding support and more than happy to have us.

The only other cost will be insurance. If you haven't been trained by a charity that is overseeing your group, you may need to pay for your own insurance which can be quite expensive.

However I do agree with the previous comment that it's tough as a peer supporter to provide the expertise and knowledge needed to run a group - particularly if you don't even have a local BFC or lactation consultant supervising you. You may have mums and babies attending your group with tongue tie, insufficient weight gain, bacterial infection on the nipples and a ton of other issues - some complex stuff that wasn't likely to be covered in sufficient detail on a peer supporter course. As mentioned the ABM do their breastfeeding counselling as a remote home study course and their Mother Supporters sometimes run groups under the supervision of a BFC who may not always be present.

However if you set your group up with the aim that you aren't there to solve everyone's issues but a place for warm and friendly support, then that doesn't cost much and can be run by a lot of people.

Sorry, we posted at the same time! Once you start your training with the ABM, you can post on our yahoo group for trainees (and our FB page right now) and lots of people will share their experiences of setting up groups and getting funding.

Thanks Tamba - yes it's really just for social support and general information (eg I've already been approached by the mother of a pg acquaintance), and then signposting to qualified people for any problem solving.

One of my friends was BFing fine, enjoying it and all was going well, then she stopped at 6 months because she thought "that's what everyone did". She actually told me this, and that she regretted it, when she realised I was still BFing at 18mo. I think a peer group would really have helped her decide for herself what she wanted to do.

One thing I'm worried about is starting a group then having to close because we can't pay rent. That's the main thing ATM.

That sounds like a useful place for a group then!

When it comes to rent, playing rent will be pretty hard for any group to sustain. I think you should be able to find a space for free based on the service you provide. I know a bfc who runs a group in a church side-room for free. Some local cafes would offer a space on a weekday morning as it brings in customers and is a community service. Lots of creative options.

That is in a church side room and is the reduced rate for charity groups, I will see though if there are any free venues (not sure how many will be easily accessible with prams though as it's one of those nightmare small towns with steps everywhere!)

I'm trying to stay positive about it, I naively thought if I was willing to give up my time to set it up, promote it and run it that the local council/HVs would be more enthused...but anyway - I WILL set this up, even if it takes longer!

I've just helped set up a group in a children's centre. We have an NCT bfc attend as well as a couple of peer supporters. We can refer people to the nhs infant feeding specialist for problems such as suspected tt. We ask for a donation towards tea and coffee and the cc have agreed to fund some leaflets and books.

Yes, a children's centre would be ideal but our area doesn't have one. The nearest one geographically (15 mins away by car, no direct bus route) doesn't serve our area, the one that does serve us is 30 mins away, in the opposite direction to the nearest BF support group. It's all a bit nuts really, the HV was a bit trying to explain it. It's a shame really because even those mums who drive will be reluctant to make an hour's round trip for something like this, especially in those crucial but difficult first days with a newborn.

Oh, well that's no good then!
You said you were an ABM mother supporter didn't you? Why not ask on the yahoo group or the Facebook page.

Will do crikey, wasn't sure if the pp meant the yahoo group was for trainees doing the counsellor course (which I am not in a position to start yet)

I'll check out the Facebook page

What about a local cafe? They might be glad of the custome, especially during non peak hours?

Mother Supporters and Mother Supporter trainees are also welcome to join the ABMcounsellors yahoo group.

The group I help run has mainly got funding by car boot sales and asking for donations from mums. We have a local fb page for bfng support and chat which is proving really helpful too, and is no longer associated with any organisations.

Thanks for all the messages

Local cafés are small or have limited pram access, but I'll take a walk around and check I haven't missed a good potential venue. All community spaces charge so between that and insurance costs there will definitely be so

Sorry toddler finger intervention...

There will be a need for some funding. I like the car boot sale/donations idea, might see of the local WI would do a joint event.

I've found the yahoo group now, thanks!

*if

Any chance a local health centre would be willing to give you space? We often hold bf groups in medical centres.

The other thing that helpers do in my area, which is not quite the same, is they help out at the HV drop in. So if any mother has a bf query, the HVs just pass them to you ...

Also: how does your supervision work? You will really need someone more experienced you can call to either discuss things or get further information.

I don't think it would be appropriate for me to tag onto the HVs clinic at the moment, that might appear to give me credentials I don't have (even if I presented myself as "just a peer supporter" iyswim). I might ask the HV office if we could use a space at the health centre though, to run an independent group.

I'm just looking to set up an information point for now (ie - what are the benefits of BFing, how does supply/demand work, here's a leaflet you could give your DP/parents etc) as well as a friendly space where people can share their experiences and actually see women BFing in public and hopefully make it less mysterious/scary. I'd also really like to be able to lend out LLL publications like "adventures in tandem nursing", books like that are a bit expensive to buy if you're just thinking about it but not sure.

It wouldn't be a problem-solving operation, any queries would be directed to the infant feeding consultant 30 mins away, or to the helplines they can ring from home (which tbh I didn't know about when I started BFing DD1).

Hopefully as we become more established a local BFing professional could become attached (or I can gain qualifications), but at the moment just peer support would be better than nothing imo.

I guess the word "support" is confusing - I'd be offering emotional/social support to address the PR side of BFing, rather than technical help, if that makes sense?

For a lot of people BFing is going well physically but they feel intimidated/embarrassed/pressured to give up. Others just need a place to vent their feelings and feel "normal", especially if they're the only person in their peer group to bf.

Hope this makes sense - thanks for the really helpful suggestions btw

Could you not start at your home with a breastfeeding friendly coffee morning ?

That way you have no issues over rent and it is clear from the start that you are an interested peer support who will listen and support rather than a BFC or health care professional.

If it got very sucessful, you could seek out and move to premises at a later point.

Hope it goes well for you :)

I think, without credentials, it will be hard to do without the risk of a backlash. In your shoes, I'd be investigating how to train as a LLL leader, or similar, and offer to help the HVs if they have a bf support clinic in place.

LLL meetings are covered by LLL insurance, so that if a mother wants to take the leader to task/complain at a later date, there is some insurance in place to deal with this.

Could you maybe just open a local mum-to-mum facebook support page, and make it clear that all support on it is anecdotal and not coming from a trained bfing professional - then you can arrange meet ups or bfing cafes (in local cafes) for those who are interested in them. But do be aware that even a fb page needs a lot of input (believe me!!) and you will get no thanks from anyone, ever, but lots of whinging when you don't respond promptly.