Gaining Accreditation as a BFW - Australian Breastfeeding Association

Gaining Accreditation as a Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace (BFW) accreditation is awarded by the Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) to organisations that provide three simple criteria to support their breastfeeding employees in the workforce. These three criteria Space, Time and Support form the foundation for becoming an accredited Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace. Space: A private space (that is not a toilet or shower) to feed or express is the first key requirement to becoming a Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace. This space may be a dedicated breastfeeding/expressing room or depending on the size of your organisation it could be a shared facility with a first aid room/prayer room or meeting room. Smaller work sites or those with a small number of staff may not have a space available at all times but should have in place a plan outlining how a space will be provided should the need arrive. All the details and information required in setting up a breastfeeding/expressing room and other options can be found in our Breastfeeding & Expressing Room Toolkit. Time: The needs of a breastfeeding employee are usually short-­‐term and involve either direct breastfeeding and/or expressing their milk for their infant during the working day. A Breastfeeding Policy that clearly outlines the support for lactation breaks to allow a mother time to feed/express is the second key requirement to become a Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace. The Breastfeeding Policy & Communication Toolkit provides examples of best practice and a variety of templates. These templates can be adapted by your organisation to put in place the underpinning Breastfeeding Policy and workplace practices that provides your employees with the time they need to feed/express in the workplace. Support: A comprehensive Breastfeeding Policy and comfortable facilities are backed up by a clear communication strategy and other workplace initiatives. Communication is key to building a supportive workplace culture. Together these three elements demonstrate to new and existing employees that their workplace and employer is supportive of their potential needs as a breastfeeding employee. Our Preparing for Breastfeeding Friendly Accreditation Toolkit covers the information/resources required to gain accreditation as a Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace. It will assist you to bring together all of the criteria and other small measures an employer can put in place to demonstrate their support and meet the requirements to become an employer of choice as an Accredited Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace. What’s involved? 1.
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Appoint a project leader. Work through the 3 toolkits to put requirements in place for BFW accreditation. Typically for small to medium organisations this can take 3-­‐6 months and for large or multi-­‐site organisation 6-­‐9 months. For complex organisations or trouble-­‐shooting, specific consultancy hours can be purchased from the BFW team if required. This is seldom necessary for organisations that use the toolkits. Once you believe you are ready for accreditation we invite you to apply to BFW to gain accreditation. The accreditation audit fee will be based on the size of your organisation (including number of employees and numbers of sites). Discounts will be given to organisations that have purchased all 3 toolkits in the previous 12 months. Expressions of interest in our accreditation fees are invited by interested organisations. Once you have accepted our quotation for accreditation audit we will liaise with you to arrange the audit. Depending on the size of your organisation, the audit team will comprise a lead consultant and other team members who will assess your physical facilities, policies/procedures and your communication strategy to ensure that a supportive breastfeeding environment is evident in your organisation. On completion of the audit, the audit team will report back to the lead consultant who will advise your organisation in writing (within two weeks of final site audit) if you have met the required standard for BFW accreditation. Australian Breastfeeding Association 1818–1822 Malvern Rd Malvern East VIC 3145 | T: 03 9885 0855 | ABN:64005081523 |RTO: 21659 www.breastfeeding.asn.au/workplace Gaining Accreditation as a BFW V1.4 082015 ©Australian Breastfeeding Association 2015 8.
Should your organisation be found to be Not Yet Compliant in one or more areas the lead consultant will provide you with a written report outlining the areas of non-­‐compliance and any recommendations to meet these. A one month time frame will be set within which your organisation is required to implement the recommendations, following which a partial re-­‐assessment will occur (at no additional cost). 9. After the partial re-­‐assessment (focusing only on the areas of non-­‐compliance) accreditation will proceed if your organisation now meets all requirements. 10. If areas of non-­‐compliance still exist accreditation will not be granted and additional fees (up to 40% of original accreditation audit fee) will be required if you wish to proceed to a 3rd assessment. 11. Once accreditation is granted you will receive: Accreditation resource pack that contains: BFW accreditation certificate to display in your workplace Resources and materials for your staff to enable you to continue to demonstrate your support for breastfeeding employees. BFW logos for use in recruitment and promotion. BFW stickers to use on your breastfeeding/expressing rooms. Media release to announce your accreditation in your local area. In addition you will receive: Listing and company profile inclusion on the BFW pages of the ABA website (more than a million unique Australian visitors per year). Breastfeeding Friendly eNewsletter bi-­‐monthly to distribute to your workforce with the latest information around legislative requirements for employers, showcasing of best practice businesses and relevant news and articles for working mothers. Ongoing support and consultancy to trouble shoot or extend your accreditation to other sites if required. An opportunity to provide an article for consideration in the Breastfeeding Friendly E-­‐newsletter or ABA’s member magazine Essence showcasing your organisations BFW status. 12.
As companies evolve over time, grow bigger or smaller and gain or lose sites, BFW will support you in meeting your ongoing needs. At your annual re-­‐accreditation each year we will work with you to ensure BFW standards are maintained and that as an accredited Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace your organisation continually strives for industry best practice. Each year the focus will be on a different aspect of accreditation (Space: -­‐ your facilities, Time: -­‐ your breastfeeding policy and Support: – your communication plan and company culture). Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace Accreditation: Bringing family friendly work practices to life. Toolkits Breastfeeding/Expressing Room Toolkit $450* Breastfeeding Policy & Communication Toolkit $450* Preparation for Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace Accreditation Toolkit $300* Complete package (includes all three toolkits) * GST exclusive $1,110* To order a toolkit please complete the order form on the website. To request a confidential quote for the cost of an Accreditation Audit please complete the EOI form on the website. www.breastfeeding.asn.au/workplace The cost of an Accreditation Audit is based on the size of your organisation taking into consideration the number of staff, number and location of sites and type of industry to be covered. A discount on accreditation fees is available to organisations that have purchased all 3 toolkits in the previous 12 months. Australian Breastfeeding Association 1818–1822 Malvern Rd Malvern East VIC 3145 | T: 03 9885 0855 | ABN:64005081523 |RTO: 21659 www.breastfeeding.asn.au/workplace Gaining Accreditation as a BFW V1.4 082015 ©Australian Breastfeeding Association 2015