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What does Every Baby Matters do? 

The Every Baby Matters programme takes a lead on prevention efforts for the Better Births programme. It leads a coordinated response across various public health issues through different work programmes:

• Education and access: supporting families to understand the importance of being fit for pregnancy and the services available to them.
• Smoking cessation: improving long-term smoking cessation rates, reducing smoking at the time of delivery rates and improving equitable access to support.
• Drug and alcohol use: reduction in the number of pregnant women using alcohol and other substances.
• Enhancing genetic literacy: increased genetic literacy at a community, professional and patient level; equitable access to genetic services
• Breastfeeding and nutritional health: Increasing breastfeeding rates after hospital discharge. Consistency of nutritional messages and support.
• Perinatal and Infant mental health: increase provision of accessible early intervention and acute services like the Specialist Mother and Baby Mental Health service (SMABS); Improving Access to Psychological Therapies IAPT; and increase bonding and attachment between babies and caregivers
• ACES: increase in awareness of the importance of exposure to adverse childhood experiences (and the Bradford ACES strategy).

Every Baby Matters does this by:

• working in partnership with statutory, VCS and community sectors organisations to reduce these risk.
• raising awareness and increase resources of Perinatal and Infant Mental Health services.
• implement attachment monitoring questions for antenatal and postnatal periods.
• work with infant feeding specialists to increase Breastfeeding rates and collaborative. BFI (Baby Friendly Initiative) accreditation.
• review how Antenatal education classes are offered.
• implement the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Local Maternity System recommendations.

Find out more about the Every Baby Matters Charter (PDF - 484KB).