Making a Difference - Community Food and Health

Workshop Three: Maternal health - how can we help
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Barbara Jessop, Food for Tot Development Worker, Greengables Nursery School
and Family Centre
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In this workshop, Barbara gave participants a look at how ‘Food for Tot’, an Edinburghbased
project, targets and works with pregnant women. It also explored how the project
works together with other professionals and voluntary organisations to engage with
pregnant women and families and gives them the skills and information to make their own
informed choices.
Barbara began the workshop by giving some background to the Food for Tots project:
The project began in 1999 with Sure Start funding (funded bi-yearly).
A forum was established with its roots being in community education and cooking skills
classes in Craigmillar.
The project is hosted within an adult education base with nursery attached.
The focus of the project is to address the wider issues via workshops – it's not just
about learning to cook.
The project's main focus is to begin with slightly older tots. However, the cooking
classes have given attendees the opportunity to ask questions about foods that can be
prepared for their babies too.
• A toolkit/resource pack called 'Food for thought' has been developed via Sure Start
funding. (Barbara offered to send a copy of the manual to anyone interested, email:
barbara.jessop@greengables-nur.edin.sch.uk)
The workshop then focused on the current approaches Food for Tots uses in engaging
families:
The project mostly works with parents with older tots but also focus on diet during
pregnancy. However, it has been difficult to engage people during pregnancy.
Most parents become involved with the project following the birth of their child,
following close involvement with health visitors and post-natal clinics at point of
weaning.
Until recently, it has been rare for women to engage with the project during their
pregnancy.
Eighteen months ago, Craigmillar ran a pilot project with a range of staff across various
agencies. They invited women in week 22-28 of their pregnancy to an antenatal fair
that included book stalls, food, midwives, health visitors, displays with tasters/bags of
free fruit, etc.
It focused on the 'why and how' of food for tots, and antenatal food.
The project offers the opportunity to talk to others in similar position as themselves, e.g.
breastfeeding.
The project covers 'bump to baby' as all services are in one place and then parents are
invited back again post-natally to another fair.
Although small scale, it seemed to make a huge difference to those participating.
Greengables is currently in the process of setting up a Breastfeeding Café support
group. So far, one girl from the local community has undergone breastfeeding support
training.