Welcome to the June update from the Breastfeeding Manifesto Coalition.

In this Issue

	National Breastfeeding Week 2011 – A Call for Action
	Have your say in National Breastfeeding Week
	For supporters in Scotland
	For supporters in Wales
	For supporters in England
	Breastfeeding Manifesto Coalition news

In Other News

Improving Maternal and Infant Nutrition: A Framework for Action, the Scottish Government's new strategy published in 2011

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National Breastfeeding Week 2011 – A Call for Action

Urgent action you can take in National Breastfeeding Week ( 19th - 25th June 2011) to lobby for improved breastfeeding support so that all women can make informed choices about their infant feeding decisions .

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Have your say in National Breastfeeding Week

National Breastfeeding week is a brilliant time for Breastfeeding Manifesto Coalition supporters to play their part in our shared aim to deliver the objectives of the Manifesto. Along with any local activities that you may be involved with, please join us and play your part to support the objectives of the Manifesto. Let 2011 be the year we hit 10.000 supporters and spread the word about the Breastfeeding Welcome Scheme .
(As there is some variation in the approach of the governments of the 4 countries of the UK we have developed slightly different sets of actions, please look for your country).

Have a great week and have your say  !

For supporters in Scotland

1.  Help us hit 10,000 supporters and e mail a friend
Go to : http://www.breastfeedingmanifesto.org.uk/email_friend.php and encourage your friends to become a supporter, the more supporters we have the stronger our influence with politicians.

Let 2011 be the year we hit 10,0000 supporters

2. Check if your MSP is a BMC supporter

Go to : www.breastfeedingmanifesto.org.uk/msp_supporters.php
if  your MSP is not a supporter  click on email your MSP www.breastfeedingmanifesto.org.uk/email_your_msp.php

3. Help us to spread the Breastfeeding Welcome Scheme

E mail or write to your Local Health Board with a suggestion that they consider joining the Breastfeeding Welcome Scheme (if there is no scheme locally), or they work with the BMC to link the local scheme to the Google maps section of the Breastfeeding Welcome Scheme web site (www.breastfeedingwelcomescheme.org.uk)

To find a sample letter click herewww.breastfeedingmanifesto.org.uk/publications.php
look for sample letter to Local Health Board re Welcome

For more about the Welcome Scheme go to:

www.breastfeedingwelcomescheme.org.uk

For supporters in Wales

1. Help us to hit 10,000 supporters and e mail a friend

Go to  e mail a friend:

www.breastfeedingmanifesto.org.uk/email_friend.php

and encourage your friends to become a supporter, the more supporters we have the stronger our influence with politicians .

Let 2011 be the year we hit 10,000 supporters

2. Check if your Assembly Member is a BMC supporter,

Click here: www.breastfeedingmanifesto.org.uk/am_supporters.php

if not click on the link to email your AMwww.breastfeedingmanifesto.org.uk/email_your_am.php
 

Before the May 2011 election all the AM were supporters of the BMC, let’s make that happen again

For supporters in England

You will probably be aware that since the arrival of the Coalition government we have seen that:

• National Best Practice advisors have had their roles discontinued
• Regional Infant Feeding Leads post contracts have ended 
• Planned activities to support breastfeeding  have been suspended
• Materials and leadership for National Breastfeeding Week have not been developed

This sets a very worrying trend and there is a significant risk that gains made over the last few years will be lost at a time when public services are under huge pressure. Hence there are some additional actions that we are suggesting for supporters in England. Now is our opportunity to influence the deliberations of the Department of Health.We want to make sure that Ministers and civil servants  are clear that breastfeeding must remain a strategic priority for the new Department of Public Health

1.  Help us to hit 10,000 supporters  and  e mail a friend
Go to : www.breastfeedingmanifesto.org.uk/email_friend.php
and encourage your friends to become a supporter, the more supporters we have the stronger our influence with politicians.

Let this be the year we hit 10,000 supporters .

2. Check if your MP is a BMC supporter, 

Click on the link :  www.breastfeedingmanifesto.org.uk/mp_supporters.php

If your MP is a supporter please send a letter asking for his / her support to raise the profile of breastfeeding with the new team in the Department of Health.

 Find sample letter at :
http://www.breastfeedingmanifesto.org.uk/publications.php look for letter to MP who is a supporter

Better still visit your MP in his/ her surgery , MP's represent an average of 60,000 people and receive hundreds of letters, telephone calls, e mails and invitations every week.They are usually required to be in Parliament from Monday to Thursday each week, when Parliament is sitting ( which roughly coincides with school terms). Friday is spent in the constituency, giving MP's a chance to have  meetings with their staff, attend local events and hold surgeries for their consituents. Contact with your MP in person is an effective way of building up a good relationship and encouraging them to take up the issue  .

You will find details of your MP at :
http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps ,enter your postcode into find your MP this will give you their details including web site address. Details of the MP’s surgeries will be there .

If your MP is not a BMC supporter click on the link to email your MP

http://www.breastfeedingmanifesto.org.uk/emailmp.php

Better still visit your MP in his/ her surgery  ( see above for why this is important and how you can find out about the surgery).

3. Help us spread the  Breastfeeding Welcome Scheme

E mail or write to your local Primary Care Trust or Local Authority with a suggestion they consider joining the Breastfeeding Welcome Scheme (if there is no scheme locally), or they work with the BMC to link the local scheme to the Google maps section of the Breastfeeding Welcome Scheme web site 

For more about the Welcome Scheme go to:

www.breastfeedingwelcomescheme.org.uk

You will find a sample letter at:www.breastfeedingmanifesto.org.uk/publications.php

look for sample letter to local PCT re Welcome

Breastfeeding Manifesto Coalition news

Over the Spring and Summer months we have Sally Tedstone working as the Development Manager for the Manifesto .

Sally's background :

Sally has been a midwife for over 20 years ,has worked as an Infant Feeding Coordinator in maternity units, a Baby Friendly Manager in a PCT, as a Senior Professional Officer for UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative and most recently has been the Healthy Early Years and  Infant Feeding Lead for the Department of Health South West .

Thanks everyone and have a good week

 For support with any of the actions please contact Sally at: sally@breastfeedingmanifesto.org.uk

Breastfeeding Manifesto Coalition
Secretariat to the Breastfeeding Manifesto Coalition is:
NCT, Alexandra House, Oldham Terrace
London W3 6NH.
Contact Sally Tedstone on 07740 250166

Email sally@breastfeedingmanifesto.org.uk