Photo by Hayley Fraser Photography
This programme is now full!
However, we offer training on a regular, on-going basis online. Reach out to us if you’d like to get involved!
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 is running a pilot in Edinburgh – join LLL Leaders Melissa and Sarah, for 6 2-hour sessions from January to June, in person at the University of Edinburgh!
Because we want to remove the barriers to become an accredited breastfeeding and chestfeeding counsellor, these sessions are 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 value deeply 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 new future Leaders, and helping with administration. Not all Leaders in LLL Collective do all this work all the time, as this volunteering needs to fit around busy home and working lives. (Yes! Most of our Leaders also do paid work!) However, there’s lots of ways to get involved and discussing how leadership fits into your life is part of our training process.
Where and when?
We will be in a room at the University of Edinburgh, location TBD. We will run these for 6 Sunday mornings, from 10 am – 12 noon on:
- 25 January
- 22 February
- 29 March
- 26 April
- 31 May
- 21 June
Want to join us but can’t make one of the dates? Please reach out to discuss!
Photo by Hayley Fraser Photography
What does training include?
There will be 6 in person workshops along with individual self-study and debriefing work on your own human milk feeding journey. Our group has 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 Support
- 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, which 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 6 months of the 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 is 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 4 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.
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, in person, or online. We aim to be as flexible as we can!
Photo by Hayley Fraser Photography
Ready to get started? Get in touch:
Can't make it? Or found this page too late?
That’s ok! We also run our training programme online for free throughout the year. Get in touch today!
Make a Donation to Support Breastfeeding in Great Britain
We can do this work with donations from people like you. We appreciate your support so we can help more babies and families like yours. You can support us with a one-off donation via credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or bank transfer.