Fours years on from being part of the first shared UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) Gold assessment in the country – our teams have done it again.

Led by the Infant Feeding Team we were jointly assessed with Calderdale Health Visiting Services, Locala and Public Health Early Years.

The assessors described CHFT as "an organisation in the forefront of BFI."

Infant Feeding Advisor Marilyn Rogers, right, said: “Introducing any significant change into a large organisation requires a great deal of effort and it takes time for changes to become embedded into everyday practice.

“This Achieving Sustainability Gold Award is intended to be an organisational roadmap for how to implement Baby Friendly care in a way that is both effective in the short-term and sustainable over time. It involves a significant amount of work undertaken over several years to secure Gold Award status.

“Getting the award in 2019 was an incredible achievement as it was the first joint accreditation in the country. We are delighted to achieve it again and to have been revalidated for a further three years.”  

Breastfeeding is important as it can reduce the risk of babies becoming ill and is also associated with a reduced risk of later childhood disease whilst protecting the mother’s health.

Read more about the Baby Friendly Initiative here: http://www.unicef.org.uk/BabyFriendly/About-Baby-Friendly/What-is-the-Baby-Friendly-Initiative/

Pictured left to right: HCA Joanne Heavyside, Infant Feeding Advisor, Rachel Dowdell, Volunteer Breastfeeding Peer Supporter Lay Hong Hirst and Marilyn.