This collective Vision for breastfeeding has been created by the sector through a process of collaboration, reflection and shared ambition.
This Vision represents the expertise, leadership and commitment of breastfeeding organisations, practitioners and advocates across the UK (including the iHV) who came together to set out what families should be able to expect from a supportive, equitable infant feeding system.
What the sector did
- Organisations and practitioners contributed deep knowledge of the current infant feeding landscape, highlighting what is working and what continues to hold families back.
- Leaders from across the sector met at a national symposium to test ideas, debate priorities and shape practical actions.
- Advocacy groups, practitioners and academics worked together to develop a unified vision that reflects equity, inclusivity, skilled support, independent guidance and stronger partnership across the system.
This collaborative effort shows the strength, insight and credibility that breastfeeding organisations bring when acting collectively, and the influence they can have in shaping national expectations for infant feeding support.
The Vision prioritises:
- Creating environments where breastfeeding is normalised and actively supported
- Accessible, trusted support so every family can benefit from high-quality services and is protected from discrimination and commercial influence, regardless of circumstance
- Responsive, skilled support informed by independent, evidence-based guidance
- Dependable and resilient support systems in every community
- National commitment to world-class breastfeeding and infant feeding support, with better collaboration between government and specialist organisations
Commissioned by Impact on Urban Health and convened and coordinated by Bremner & Co, this work created space for breastfeeding organisations to come together, test ideas and develop a collective vision. The thinking, priorities and direction were shaped by the sector. The strength of this vision demonstrates the power within the sector and commitment to improving infant feeding support.
The Vision is found on the Breastfeeding in Focus webpage on the Impact on Urban Health website.
