The challenge
To help Calderdale Council’s Family Hubs team give parents and babies the best support, its public health team wanted to understand why more people breastfeed in some population groups than others.
They asked us to help them work with local parents to hear about their experiences of breastfeeding and what was working well in order to inform their future strategy.
What we did
Co-designing the process
We began by running a co-design workshop with mums, peer supporters and infant feeding specialists.
The session explained our appreciative approach to the research – which uses strengths, values and dreams to generate imagination and innovation – and created a space for people to discuss the plan and co-design questions.
Hearing people’s stories
We trained four local mums as researchers who could connect with breastfeeding parents across the community and hear their stories.
These women came from Pakistan, Honduras, Wales and England, and had diverse experiences, from navigating the asylum process to teaching baby yoga.
We then reached out to families through informal, welcoming story workshops and drop-ins, which included things like snacks, play dough and stickers for children.
Exploring the findings
Through 69 interviews and 115 responses to an online survey, we gained a wealth of insight into people’s breastfeeding experiences.
At an event with 25 project partners, we explored together how the findings should shape breastfeeding support in Calderdale, and discussed opportunities to develop services in partnership with local people.
Our impact
The research has helped shape Calderdale’s three-year infant feeding strategy, written by child public health expert Professor Amy Brown of Swansea University. This will enable the council to deliver a joined up service while tailoring support for different communities, so that more parents have positive breastfeeding experiences.
After our final workshop, Rebecca Harrison, a senior family support worker in Todmorden, told us:
“I left with a very full heart and hope for the future… Your work has clearly been achieved with sensitivity and care. The families have appreciated the time to share stories and, together, with their voices at the core, we can support families in Calderdale the best we can.”
Rachel Smith, senior public health practitioner at Calderdale Council, who commissioned the project, said:
“[Ideas Alliance’s] organisational skills, planning, preparation and professionalism were exemplary. Regular communication kept the momentum of the project on track and culminated with a successful sense-making workshop, data analysis and final slide deck report. Their work has been a catalyst for embedding community research into all we now do”.
