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Infant Feeding Maternity Support Worker
The closing date is 09 October 2026
An exciting opportunity has arisenfor a dynamic and enthusiastic person to join the infant feeding team at CDDFTas a maternity support worker.
Our team works across County Durham andDarlington to provide specialist support to women and families experiencingfeeding problems in the first weeks after birth. Infant feeding is at theforefront of public health and as part of the team you will be contributing to improved health outcomes across the region.
This a great opportunity for thoseinterested in maternity care, infant feeding and public health to gainexperience in this important area of maternity services.
We are a busy team and no two daysare the same. We provide face to face and remote care to women in hospital andin community with their baby including in our specialist infant feeding clinicand for division of tongue tie. You would be involved in providing skilledsupport to get their feeding journey off to the best start.
As a team we also lead for UNICEFBaby Friendly accreditation for meternity services for the Trust and you willhave the opportunity to be involved in service improvement and audit as we workto implement UNICEF standards for our families.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will privide careto women and families who need additional support with infant feeding. Theywill provide health promotion in pregnancy to advise on the values ofbreastfeeding and skilled support following birth with positioning and attachment.
Your duties will include:
- Providing skilled support to women who areexperiencing feeding problems in the first weeks after birth, gently supportingthem to reach their feeding goals.
- Supporting the specialist midwifein the infant feeding clinic during frenulotomy procedures.
- Providing support in acutesettings to both antenatal and postnatal inpatients to support informeddecision making and getting feeding off to a good start.
- Maintaining accurate records.
- Undertaking audit of UNICEFstandards.
- Providing administrative supportby maintaining clinic lists and clinic outcome records.
About us
We provide hospital services from two acute sites – Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community based settings and providing care in patients’ homes.
We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented.
You must be able to produce ALL certificates stated essential in the person specification or you will not be able to complete pre-employment checks.
Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents.
Over reliance onAI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant’s chances ofsuccess.
For the most up-to-date information on visa requirements and eligibility, please check online to determine whether you can apply.
Job responsibilities
This post is a permanent, parttime post working across sites within the Trust. You will be expected to workat University Hospital North Durham and Darlington Memorial Hospital. You mayalso be able to spend one day a week at a community site.
This role is an integral part of the infantfeeding team and following training you will be providing infant feedingsupport independently and undertaking triage of referrals to the team. You willhave the opportunity to undertake additional training to support UNICEFstandards including UNICEF audit training and attendance at conferences. Thisis an interesting and varied role ideally suited to someone with a passion forpublic health and infant feeding. The postholder will undertake appropriatetraining to meet the needs of the service ensuring competency is achieved,maintained and updated yearly.
Person Specification
Qualifications
- GCSE or equivalent in Maths and English
- Relevent NVQ level 3
- Care certificate
- Knowledge of infant feeding agenda
Special Requirements
- Full UK driving licence and access to transport
- Willing to work across CDDFT sites
Experience
- Previous experience working in an NHS role
- Previous experience as a maternity support worker or equivalent role desirable.
- Previous knowledge of infant feeding and UNICEF standards.
- Ability to carry out clinical observations, recognising and reporting dfeviations from the norm.
Special Skills & Knowledge
- Proven ability to work independantly and within a team.
- Approachable and able to build relationships with a wide variety of colleagues.
- Ability to show initiative and take on own responsibility and accountability.
- Ability to prioritise workload and manage own time.
- An understanding of the key public health messages around smoking, health lifestyle in pregnancy and infant feeding knowledge would be desirable
- Previous experience supporting infant feeding would be advantageous
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer name
County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
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