Photo by Hayley Fraser Photography
Have you ever thought about becoming a volunteer breastfeeding counsellor? Maybe you had a rough start and got a lot of support and now’s the time to give back. Or maybe you had a great journey and you’d like to help others! Perhaps you fall in between?
LLL Collective runs our rolling online accreditation programme throughout the year. If you’re interested, read on to find out more, then get in touch!
Because we want to remove the barriers to become an accredited breastfeeding and chestfeeding counsellor, our programme is free.
What is a Leader?
A Leader is a La Leche League (LLL) breastfeeding counsellor. Our accreditation standard is set by La Leche League International, and once complete, allows Leaders to support mothers and families around the world.
Leaders are volunteers and help their community with breastfeeding and chestfeeding support. We are not healthcare providers and we are not paid for our work but some do go on to further train as International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLC).
Another definition of Leaders is trained peer-to-peer facilitators. We deeply value our communication skills to empathetically be available for families looking for support. We do not advise or tell folks what to do, but offer evidenced-based information to help them make their own decisions.
Leader responsibilities include supporting families, running group meetings, staying up to date, training future Leaders, and helping with administration. Not all Leaders in LLL Collective do all this work all the time, as volunteering needs to fit around busy home and working lives (Yes! Most of our Leaders also do paid work!). However, there are lots of ways to get involved, and discussing how leadership fits into your life is part of our training process.
When and where?
Our programme includes six live presented 90-minute workshops that are scheduled to suit the availability of our applicants.
We run the sessions on an on-going, rolling basis. We also offer, from time to time, location specific, in-person sessions. Do you know a few people locally who are interested? Get in touch and we can discuss an in-person option with you.
Photo by Hayley Fraser Photography
What does training include?
There are six 90-minute workshops, along with individual self-study and debriefing work on your own feeding journey. Our sessions have a limited number of spaces, so you’ll be guaranteed to be able to ask your questions and get answers.
The workshops cover:
- Inclusivity in breastfeeding and chestfeeding support
- Breastfeeding management skills
- Supporting families 1:1
- Running group meetings
- La Leche League structure
- Finding new Leaders (LLL breastfeeding counsellors)
- The International Code on Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes
- Safeguarding
During the course, you’ll also be asked to do some individual work that includes:
- Study of breastfeeding management
- Personal experience debriefing
- Bias exercise
- Mixing causes exercise
- Practice questions for inclusivity scenarios, 1:1 support, and group management
Please note! The individual work may extend beyond the six workshop sessions – that’s up to you and also the capacity of our volunteer team. Once all workshops have been attended and the individual work has been completed, you’ll be ready to accredit as an La Leche League Leader, aka breastfeeding counsellor!
Photo by Hayley Fraser Photography
What are the pre-requisites?
La Leche League International sets the pre-requisites required to join our training programme.
They include:
- Human milk feeding a child for at least one year
- Reading the Art of Breastfeeding
- Attending four LLL meetings, in-person or online
- Agree to represent the LLL Concepts
If you have questions about the pre-requisites, please reach out! We would like to make this process as flexible as possible and are happy to discuss individual circumstances.
You can read more from LLLI on the pre-requisites here.
Next Steps
Does the above sound interesting to you? Are you ready to get started on your application journey with LLL Collective?
Before being accepted onto our free course, you will need to have a pre-application conversation with a current LLL Leader. This can be done over the phone, video call, or face to face. We aim to be as flexible as we can! These typically take two hours to complete. During the conversation, we will discuss the LLL Leader role and our accreditation programme, how both the programme and role will fit into your plans, LLL philosophy, and your human milk feeding journey. Get in touch to schedule one today!
You have a choice in your accreditation pathway, and we encourage you to explore where you fit best with other organisations in the UK. Learn more about LLL Collective here and read about what drives us here.
Photo by Hayley Fraser Photography
Ready to get started? Get in touch:
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