Information for New Applicants
Birth Companions supports women who are vulnerable and in need of support around the time of birth. We work with women in a way that is sensitive to their needs and is non-judgemental. We hope to empower women and make their experience of pregnancy, birth and parenting more positive. The women we work with have often experienced trauma, are isolated and in difficult circumstances. Women may be vulnerable because of their experience of domestic violence, sexual abuse or human rights violations or they may have mental health issues or a history of drug use. Many of the women we work with are foreign nationals and young women. Social services are sometimes involved and a mother may be going to a Mother and Baby Unit or foster placement with her baby or be separating from her baby after the birth.
Birth Companions also works with women in Bronzefield and Peterborough prisons and volunteers may be involved in working with these women if they are being released to London and would like our support.
What is involved in being a volunteerwith Birth Companions?
Most volunteers work with womenduring pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period. However, it is possible to choose just to work with womenat birth or just to do antenatal or postnatal visits. Birth companions will see women at home, in hospital or at a venue in her local community. Sometimes women are living in a hostel or safe house but the home will always have been risk assessed before the visit. It is usual to have 3 or 4 birth companions involved in supporting a woman and this support is offered to women from about 35 weeks in pregnancy and for 6 weeks after birth. However,it is often extended if needed and we more typically work with women until their babies are around 3 months old. Some volunteers help to operate our 24 hour birth line and make calls to arrange support for the women when they go into labour or are in hospital.
All our volunteers are supported by either the Group Coordinator or the Community Link Coordinator and are encouraged to debrief their experiences with them. Our work can sometimes be difficult and distressing so this support is important. After hospital, community and prison visits, volunteers are asked to email a short report to the group. There is also the opportunity to debrief and discuss your experiences at our monthly Group Meeting.
As we work with vulnerable adults and babies, all volunteers need to have full DBS clearance. Volunteers are also required to agree to aCode of Practice and to follow our Equal Opportunities policy.
Where is the training and support located?
Our meetings and training sessions are held in Crouch End (N8) and Islington (N1). We do not have an office, so attending the monthly meetings and also regular communication by email is important. The women we support are mainly living in Islington, Haringey, Hackney and Enfield, and are giving birth at the Whittington, Homerton and UCL Hospitals. We sometimes also support women in South London, mainly giving birth at Lewisham and Kings Hospitals, and occasionally support women in other areas. We thereforetend to give priority to applicants who can travel to these areas relatively easily and at a reasonable cost.
What sort of experience do I need to become a Birth Companion?
We are looking for applicants who are really committed to supporting the women we work with in a sensitive and non-judgemental way. We would like you to have relevant experience of pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding or parenting(which could come from family, work or volunteering).We are also looking for experience of supporting womenorfamilies in difficult situationse.g. seeking asylum, fleeing domestic violence, trafficking. Languages are an advantage.
We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and sections of the community and we operate an Equal Opportunities policy for our volunteers and service users.
How much time do I need to commit to becoming a volunteer?
There is a long training period to enable trainees to fully understand the challenges and complexities of working with vulnerable women and our special way of working. For this reason, applicants should only apply if they expect to be available for a minimum of two years (one year as a trainee and another as a volunteer).Our monthly group meetings alternate between being held in the day and in the evening, and most of our training sessions areon Saturdays. It is possible to volunteer with us if you work full-time. Our training takes about a year to complete but traineescan begin support visits with women in the community at an earlier stage, as long as they haveDBS clearance. Once trainees have completed their training and feel ready to do so,they can begin to support women during birth.Support for women who will be separating from a baby is provided by more experienced birth companions and would not be done by a trainee.
Volunteering with Birth Companions does not usually involve a regular session every week or fortnight as visits to women can be arranged at a mutually convenient time. Once you become an active birth companion (fully trained) and if you wish to attend births, you may be called at any time, as birth is unpredictable! However, it is always fine to say if you are unavailable. We aim to have a large pool of birth companions to ensure that there is always someone on hand to help.
How do I become a birth companion?
When we receive your application form, we will let you know whether or not we will be taking up your references. Once satisfactory references are received, the next step is to arrange an informal telephone interview, you may also be asked to attend a one off session either on the evening or at a weekend as part of our selection process.
What does the training involve?
Training to become a Birth Companion will include:
- Attending an Induction Day and 7-8 other core training sessions held in North London
- Attending at least 6 of our monthly group meetingsheld in North London
- Reading regular email updates and reports about our ongoing support work.
- Observing on Labour Ward at the Whittington (only necessary if you wish to support women during birth)
- Reading relevant materials
- Getting involved in supporting women in the community while you are still a trainee
- Debriefing your own birth(s) or births you have attended
Trainee Birth Companions are also invited to our social events, internal meetings and on-going training sessions where you will have the chance to meet other members of the group in a friendly, informal and supportive environment.
All of your reasonable travel expenses within Londonwill be paid for by Birth Companions and the training we provide is free. Some trainees may decide to attend and pay for an external doula course as well.
Where can I find out more about Birth Companions?
For further information visit our website at you will find copies of our annual reports, birth stories and information, press coverage and more about the work that we do.
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