Leader of Change Qualification

The Leader of Change qualification is designed to recognise and develop the infant feeding-related knowledge, skills and professional experience of those working to lead the implementation of the Baby Friendly standards within UK public services and university programmes and to advocate for the standards within their sphere of influence.

The course is suitable for those coordinating/leading on infant feeding and the implementation of the Baby Friendly standards in public services and university programmes. Leaders are the staff who project manage infant feeding services and/or Baby Friendly on a day-to-day basis. This includes those who have a strategic leadership role in relation to infant feeding as well as those who plan and provide specialist services. This qualification level is also available to participants who are not currently in a lead role, but who are interested in career progression. In this case, they would need to demonstrate that they have proactively sought experience in assisting the lead with strategic coordination and thus would be capable of achieving the requirements outlined for the leadership qualification.

Applications are also welcome from those that would benefit from aligning their practice with the Baby Friendly Standards to influence change within their organisation that supports infant feeding and early child development.

For example:

• Speech and Language therapists
• Peer Supporters
• Pharmacists
• Dieticians/Nutritionists
• Perinatal and infant mental health teams
• Social Workers
• Allied health professionals

The programme framework is based on six Vision Statements which describe what is needed to improve outcomes for babies, their mothers and families related to infant feeding in the UK. Under each Vision Statement there are separate lists of capabilities. These describe the knowledge, skills and understanding needed for learners to contribute to making the Vision Statements a reality. Read the Vision Statements and capabilities in the Overview document.

Participants are asked to complete a portfolio of their learning, experience and reflection related to each Vision Statement and associated capabilities. There are short essays, activities and reflective exercises which equate to around 10,500 words. Participants are supported to work at their own pace and in ways that enable personal development over the eight-month period. This structured framework is intended to support the learner to evidence the knowledge and skills they already have, while also developing a deeper knowledge and understanding of infant feeding and very early child development, including how to implement and advocate for evidence-based practice within their own sphere of practice.

A list of suggested learning resources is provided for each Vision Statement and is designed to guide the participant as they work towards meeting the capabilities. However, it is not an exhaustive list. Participants are also encouraged to use independently sourced material and their own knowledge and experience to complete their portfolio.

The portfolios are marked anonymously and  moderated externally. The portfolio will be used as the basis for one-to-one interviews to determine the extent of their knowledge and understanding. Results from the portfolio and interview will be combined and qualifications awarded based on the results.

UNICEF UK promotes equality, diversity and inclusion in the Leader of Change Qualifications Programme and welcomes anyone who is ambitious to make a difference for babies, their mothers, parents/primary caregivers and families as part of their work towards a Baby Friendly qualification. If that sounds like you, you have come to the right place, and we will do all that we can to support you.

Feedback from qualified participants is that the programme ‘takes more time than you anticipate, and the time goes very quickly’. We therefore strongly recommend that you think about how you can fit the programme into your everyday life and when would be the best time to apply. Participants have also reported finding the programme academically challenging but worthwhile, requiring confident use of self-directed learning, researching and writing skills.

Please consider that you have the necessary study time to complete the programme within eight months. If you are interested in applying, please complete the form when applications open and submit to the Baby Friendly office. This form will be considered anonymously against set criteria and participants will be informed of whether they have been successful or not. The course will have a limited number of places and so it could be that participants are asked to apply again.

We are committed to inclusion and accessibility in our selection process. Therefore, as part of the application process, you will be asked to complete an anonymous equality monitoring form. This data will help us to review our processes and ensure they provide equitable access to participants. This is not compulsory, and your answers will not be used as part of the selection process. Due to the high volume of applications received, participants will be selected first on the following criteria and thereafter based on a randomised selection process:

• Applications which are filled in completely and correctly
• Applications which are of high quality

If you have previously applied for a Baby Friendly Qualification and been unsuccessful, you are welcome to apply again and will be considered under current application criteria.

Once accepted, the participant will be asked to formally enrol in the course and pay the associated fee.

After reviewing the needs of the programme and considering the findings of the 2024 Baby Friendly education survey that was sent to NIFN, the decision was taken to discontinue the Baby Friendly Practitioner and Baby Friendly Advocate programmes. This decision is based on the following:

• Baby Friendly Practitioner: The programme was initially designed for those in infant feeding support roles wanting to align with the Baby Friendly standards. However, the survey indicated that the need is for specialist lactation education and clinical competency recognition. A Baby Friendly Practitioner programme cannot provide recognition of individual clinical competency and there is a lack of a national competency framework to measure clinical competence against within health services.
• Baby Friendly Advocate Programme: Although beneficial for individuals in allied health professions and specialist services, the Advocate programme can be absorbed into the newly updated Baby Friendly Leader of Change programme which accommodates accommodate a broader scope than the previous Baby Friendly Leader programme.

In response to the needs identified in the survey, the Baby Friendly Leader programme was revised and expanded to reach a wider range of professionals and services. The aim is to broaden the scope to ensure that the Baby Friendly standards are universally applicable across all services working with families in the perinatal period and therefore support the aim of making Baby Friendly everybody’s business.

The name has been changed to ‘Baby Friendly Leader of Change’ as this better reflects the expanded scope and shift in approach, The aim of this programme is to emphasise the focus on leadership of change across all areas related to infant feeding and early childhood development and those qualifying will be able to advocate for, and influence change within, their specific areas of influence, whether local, regional, or national.

We recognise that participants have different needs depending on their current level of knowledge and experience. The Framework is designed to allow learners to work at their own pace and in their own way over the eight-month period in order to gather the evidence needed to complete their portfolio and prepare for their interview.

The programme is not a taught course. Allocating time to learn from a distance and be self-directed is important. A list of suggested learning resources is provided for each Vision Statement which is designed to guide the participant as they work towards meeting the capabilities. The resources provided are not an exhaustive list and participants are encouraged to use independently sourced material and their own knowledge and experience to complete the learning log and portfolio.

Throughout the programme, there will be monthly Support Seminars held via Microsoft Teams to provide guidance and structure and to enable you to ask questions about the Vision Statements. There is also time set aside during each session for peer-to-peer support. Although these seminars are not compulsory, attendance will be monitored, as seminars are designed to facilitate learning and will help you get the most from the programme.

The six overarching Vision Statement describe what we hope to achieve in the UK in relation to infant feeding and very early child development. The capabilities for each Vision Statement outline how we expect graduates to positively contribute to achieving the vision. These are outlined below.

Participants are asked to complete a portfolio of their learning, experience and reflection related to each Vision Statement and associated capabilities. The portfolio consists of short essays, activities and reflective exercises to complete, as well as a learning log to record the resources accessed during the programme. This structured framework is intended to support the learner to evidence the knowledge and skills they already have, whilst also developing a deeper knowledge and understanding of infant feeding and very early child development, including how to implement and advocate for evidence-based practice within their own sphere of practice.

Threaded throughout the Vision Statements and capabilities, we will also be looking for evidence of the following principles:

1. A child rights approach which gives the preverbal infant a voice
2. A person-centred and dyad-centred approach to care
3. Safe, effective, trauma-informed and evidence-based care
4. Compassionate communication skills
5. Emphasis on reflection and self-awareness
6. A multi-disciplinary and inter-professional approach
7. Equitable and respectful care with consideration to the social and cultural context of individual lived experience.

The programme is very structured, with distinct pieces of work required for the Vision Statements with a strict word limit. When completing the portfolio consider:

• Have I completed each piece of work asked for and kept within the word limit?
• Does my work illustrate how I meet the capabilities for the Vision Statement?
• Have I considered the marking criteria and how marks are allocated?
• Does my work adhere to the principles above?

Providing that you can answer yes to these four questions, then you can be confident that you have completed the portfolio correctly.

Portfolios and supporting material will be required to be submitted by the eight-month deadline. All portfolios will be marked against the assessment criteria. Leaders will undertake a virtual interview with an assessor and questions will be based on their portfolio submission. The interview will be marked and contribute, with their portfolio, towards their submission for qualification. The questions will be based around the portfolio submission. All interviews are recorded to allow for external moderation.

For each Vision Statement, participants are asked to submit work that demonstrates

• Knowledge and understanding
• Application to practice
• Reflection

These three criteria are marked to give a total score of 30 for each of the six Vision Statements and therefore a maximum score of 180 overall. All scores are totalled and a final percentage is calculated based on the actual points achieved out of the maximum number of points that it is possible to achieve. Participants need to achieve an overall score of 70% or above on each Vision Statement to pass.

The portfolios are marked anonymously and moderated externally before being approved and ratified by the Qualification Board. The portfolio will be used as the basis for one-to-one interviews to further determine the extent of their knowledge and understanding. Qualifications will be awarded based on the combined results from the portfolio and interview.

What happens when I pass?

• The participants who achieve the required standard will be awarded a Baby Friendly qualification.
• The participant’s name will be added to the Baby Friendly qualification register which is publicly available via the UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative website.
• Successful participants will receive a certificate and qualification mark that can be used in their professional correspondence and e-mail signatures etc.
• Successful participants will be included in a rollcall of honour at the next Baby Friendly conference after they achieve their qualification.
• All successful participants will be asked to sign a qualification agreement with UNICEF UK.

Q:  Within the eight months, how much time do I need to allow to complete the course? 

A: Feedback from qualified participants is that the programme ‘takes more time than you anticipate, and the time goes very quickly’. We therefore strongly recommend that you think about how you can fit the programme into your everyday life and when would be the best time to apply. The programme has also been reported by participants to be academically challenging but worthwhile, requiring confident use of self-directed learning, researching and writing skills.

Each month there is a Support Seminar (1.5 hours) to support you and answer any questions. Most people dedicated at least one day a month, but in reality there was additional time for reading, reflection, learning and then pulling together the portfolio which equates to approximately 10,500 words. What was really important to the group was finding the ‘headspace’ to be able to switch off from work and family time to concentrate on the course.

Q: Can I do a qualification if I am a volunteer?

A: Volunteering can capture a wide range of skills and capabilities. We welcome applications from those in an unpaid or volunteer role who have experience in supporting infant feeding and advocating for the Baby Friendly Standards and would benefit from a leadership qualification.

Q: I am an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant®, can I do the course?

A: We welcome applications from International Board Certified Lactation Consultants® who will be able to use their learning and experience to complete the portfolio submission and would benefit from a leadership qualification to complement their clinical knowledge and skills.

Q: I am an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant® do I get any exemptions?

A: No there are no exemptions. To gain a Baby Friendly qualification all learners will be expected to demonstrate how they will achieve each capability within the six Vision Statements. Experienced practitioners and International Board Certified Lactation Consultants® will have an advantage in as much as they can use their knowledge and expertise to help them complete the portfolio.

Q: Will there be a possibility of Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL)?

A: “Accreditation of Prior and Experiential Learning (APEL) is the overall term widely used for the recognition of, and award of, academic credit on the basis of demonstrated learning that has occurred at some time in the past. This learning may have come about as the result of a course, self-directed study or as the result of experience either at work or in leisure pursuits”. (UCAS, 2008 p.1)

Some past participants have been successful in this. To see how this might work please review the following case study: Leveraging prior learning: The path to a Master’s Degree through credit transfer from the Qualifications Framework Programme

Have you submitted your application by the deadline?

Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are unable to consider any that are submitted past the deadline. Please ensure you submit your application by the deadline, time and date, stated on the website for it to be considered. You can find information on all future deadlines on this page when they are announced.

Have you completed all fields? 

Please ensure all sections of the application are completed, including signature fields. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Have you sufficiently explained why you want to do this course?  

Please ensure you have provided an explanation of why you want to do this course. Applicants are strongly encouraged to familiarise themselves with the six Vision Statements and reflect these in their application.

Have you stuck to the word count?

Please try and stick to the word count specified for each section, and please add the word count in brackets at the end of the section.