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30th September 2024

As healthcare practitioners we are all aware that breastfeeding has lots of positive impacts for the health of mums and their infants, and so we’re passionate about supporting Derbyshire families. An important part of this is making sure that families feel comfortable to feed whilst out and about.

Venues who make their premises welcoming for breastfeeding families can positively impact on the health of these families. Having a breastfeeding friendly venue can help families to feel confident to breastfeed in public.

That’s why Derbyshire County Council run the Breastfeeding Welcome Here Award. It is a free accreditation scheme to show that venues support families to breastfeed.

The aims of the Breastfeeding Welcome Here Award are to:

  • Help community venues show they actively welcome and support breastfeeding.
  • Support new families to feel confident breastfeeding when out and about.
  • Improve awareness about the lifelong benefits of breastfeeding for mother and child.
  • Remove any barriers that may prevent people from breastfeeding in public.

The benefits for a venue signing up are:

  • The scheme is free to join.
  • By offering a more inclusive service and making the venue more family friendly, the more likely they are to have repeat customers, who in turn spend longer at the venue.
  • It provides free, positive, publicity.
  • GP and dental practices can improve patient satisfaction and patient health.
  • By supporting breastfeeding, venues will be making a positive contribution to the health of families across Derbyshire.

For venues, there is a short application form here. 

This will help understand how to provide a welcoming environment for breastfeeding families. Once an application has been received, provided they meet all the essential criteria, they will receive a Breastfeeding Welcome Here Award sticker and certificate to display. The venue and its facilities will be automatically advertised on Derbyshire Family Health Service’s health visiting service so families can see Breastfeeding Welcome Here venues in their area. For this reason, the venue needs to be open to the public.