Congratulations to The Loft for committing to the important mahi of removing barriers to breastfeeding in our communities. And particular thanks to Libby, Carol and Kate for their efforts in making the collaboration between The Loft and the Canterbury Breastfeeding Advocacy Service such a rewarding one.
The Loft is a community of agencies with the collective purpose “to enhance outcomes for children, young people, families and communities by achieving the optimum added value that co-located community wellbeing services has to offer.” It offers a new way for the people of Canterbury to access a wide range of health and wellbeing services that is located on the first floor of the Eastgate Shopping Centre in Christchurch’s Eastern suburbs. http://www.theloftchristchurch.org.nz/About-Us/
As an organisation that supports the safety and overall wellbeing of children, young people and their families, we saw The Loft as being a great candidate for becoming a Breastfeeding-Friendly Workplace.
As a community that houses a number of services, we thought there may be some challenges in getting all services and staff on board. However, what we found was a very committed and excited workforce who were ready and willing to implement whatever it took to become breastfeeding friendly.
The Loft now has a shared policy for ensuring that any staff member wanting to breastfeed will be supported and offered the appropriate space and time to do this. It also means that any manuhiri or visitors will be supported in their breastfeeding journey.
