THE LEARNING OUTCOMES:
This skills workshop will introduce participants to the Baby-Friendly Community (BFC) model, a community-based extension of the WHO/UNICEF Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative. The BFC protects, promotes, and supports breastfeeding through a trans-sectoral, participatory process in which midwives play a key role in advocacy and leadership. It is grounded in the supersetting approach, which engages multiple community settings (e.g., healthcare, education, municipalities, civil society, emergency networks) to support responsive parenting and promote coherent, sustainable health strategies. Implemented in Italy, Norway, and other countries within the EU Joint Action PreventNCD, the BFC model centres on stakeholder analysis and participatory consultation with families, professionals, local authorities, and community actors to co-design breastfeeding-friendly environments and inclusive policies. Participants will: Understand the principles and structure of the BFC Initiative Learn tools for stakeholder mapping and analysis Practice communication skills (i.e. short motivational counselling) Practise participatory consultation techniques for engaging communities Explore the midwife’s leadership in building cross-sector community alliances.

THE PROCESS/ACTIVITIES:
The session uses an interactive learning format. After a brief demonstration of a local community dialogue process, participants will work in small groups to simulate the launch phase of a BFC programme. Activities include: Stakeholder analysis with real-life case examples Designing a participatory consultation using mapping and facilitation tools Role-playing/video modelling an advocacy dialogue with community stakeholders Each group will then present a short action proposal and receive feedback.

AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION:
Group work, role-play, facilitated peer feedback, visual and interactive tools Additional reading Bærug AB, et al. Effectiveness of baby-friendly community health services on exclusive breastfeeding and maternal satisfaction: a pragmatic trial. Matern Child Nutr. 2016. Bloch P. Supersettings for sustainable impact in community health promotion. 2014. Cattaneo A, et al. Effectiveness of the Baby Friendly Community Initiative in Italy: a non-randomised controlled study. BMJ Open. 2016. Chan, et al. Impact of the BFCI on breastfeeding outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Midwifery. 2025. World Health Organization, United Nations Children’s Fund. Guidance for Implementing the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative. World Health Organization; 2018. Joint Action on Chronic Diseases and Promoting Healthy Ageing Across the Life Cycle (JA-CHRODIS). Prevent Non-Communicable Diseases. Accessed May 31, 2026. https://preventncd.eu/