Salford’s gold for babies – yet again!

The UNICEF Baby Friendly Award is a nationally recognised mark of quality care. It demonstrates that a service supports local families with feeding and helps them develop close, loving relationships, ensuring all babies get the best possible start in life. The Gold standard accreditation formally demonstrates that the services have the leadership and culture to maintain these standards long-term.

Parents seeking help with feeding their child, from breastfeeding to first foods, know they are receiving top-notch help, support, and advice, along with first-class baby health services in Salford. As a result of the collaboration between the two organisations, breastfeeding rates have risen, providing hundreds of Salford children with a better start in life.

Councillor Jim Cammell, Lead Member for Children’s and Young People’s Services, said: “It is fantastic news that we have received this prestigious recognition from UNICEF once again. Officers work hard behind the scenes to provide the absolute best for local people and I’d like to publicly thank them for all their hard work. This all links in with our ambitions to become a UNICEF Child Friendly City, a key priority in our Corporate Plan.”

Lesley Langford, Infant Feeding Lead, Universal 0-19 Children’s Services at Northern Care Alliance, said: “This is all about putting families at the heart of what we do. We want to make sure they receive consistent care and information, and it is really paying off.”

“We want to help women and their families make informed choices about how they feed their baby and support them in those choices. While breastfeeding gives children the best start in life, we are here for all parents regardless of how they decide to feed their baby.”

Kate Berry, Service Manager Early Help at Salford City Council and Interim Baby Friendly Guardian, said: "We are extremely proud to have retained our GOLD standard Baby Friendly Services. This award is a testament to the partnerships that exist between our two services. We truly couldn’t have achieved this without the dedication and support of our Infant Feeding Champions, who are intent on ensuring our services remain baby friendly."

The award was presented to service managers. The services are ran by both the council and Northern Care Alliance.