Annual Review
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Introduction from Belinda Phipps, CEO, NCT
NCT is the largest charity for parents in the UK, supporting over one million parents every year through their incredible life changing experience of becoming a parent.
This year, there have been a number of major achievements despite the tough economic climate. We reached more parents and parentsto-be than ever before through our website, classes, courses and range of information. Our two helplines took a record number of calls and we launched a third helpline ensuring all new parents have access to support after the birth of their baby. Our passionate and dedicated volunteers ran thousands of events, across our network of 318 branches. This vital level of support creates lasting friendships and raises funds for the charity. We have over 800 qualified workers and are training another 800 students to diploma level. They are in contact with about 120,000 mums and dads through courses and classes and individual breastfeeding support given by volunteer breastfeeding counsellors. In the last year we have broadened our reach through work with healthcare professionals delivering engaging, positive and informative products and services. This includes delivering NCT antenatal classes on contract to five NHS Trusts.
Contents Introduction from Belinda Phipps, CEO Year in numbers Information Support Reach Partners Change Figures Thanks Get involved
Even though NCT has achieved a great deal for parents over the years, becoming a parent can still be challenging and daunting in the UK today. We will continue to lobby governments and assemblies to further raise the profile of and seek improvements in maternity services for those becoming parents. It is clear that the need for our services, information and campaigning remains as great as ever. We will continue to support all parents and endeavour to create a society that values and respects parents and the responsibility they have in raising the next generation.
Belinda Phipps Chief Executive NCT
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Our vision NCT wants all parents to have an experience of pregnancy, birth and early parenthood that enriches their lives and gives them confidence in being a parent. Our charitable purpose > We offer information and support in pregnancy, birth and early parenthood > We campaign to improve maternity care and ensure better services and facilities for new parents
NCT wants all parents to have an experience of pregnancy, birth and early parenthood that enriches their lives and gives them confidence in being a parent.
> We aim to give every parent the chance to make informed choices > We want to make sure that everyone has access to our services and activities
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Š End Child Poverty Campaign
Number of members
Number of people who have joined NCT Active
Information sheets produced
200, 1.4m 000 Visits to our website, an increase of 30%
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Number of volunteers
Number of parents who attended NCT events
350, 000
Number of healthcare professionals inspired by our workshops
Number of callers to our helplines
31, 000
Number of mums and dads that attended NCT classes and courses
70, 000
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We’re committed to providing parents with high quality information in the format they need. Our evidence based information is supported by our research. We are constantly assessing how we can improve both range and access to our materials. This year, our information reached more people than ever.
Requested materials > 200,000 information sheets, 1,700 booklets and 2,600 books, including a new information sheet entitled Looking after your pelvic floor. These materials target health professionals for use in their work supporting parents. Other topics covered include breastfeeding, labour, home birth and miscarriage. > Stepping Stones – a free e-guide to life as a parent, which reaches 28,000 subscribers every month, an increase of 35% on last year. Available from November 2008, on average 400 sign up to receive Stepping Stones every month.
Courses and classes 70,000 mums & dads received face-to-face, high quality support and information through our antenatal classes, postnatal and breastfeeding courses. Our classes and courses inspire confidence in mums and dads, helping them develop the skills they will need in their new life as a parent. We support birthing partners with relevant sessions and encourage parents to share their experiences with one another, building a network of social relationships that often last many years.
> 480,000 free Bumps & Babies magazines distributed to parents-to-be directly and via health professionals. Website Our website attracted 1.4 million visitors in the last year, an increase of over 30%. To further enhance the site we launched a new look and feel to the Info Centre, including a glossary and easier navigation, as well as increasing the number and range of articles.
35% 1.4m
Subscriptions to Stepping Stones up 35%
Our website attracted 1.4 million visitors
Nov 2008
Sept 2009
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In the media In the summer of 2009, there was a lot of media coverage on swine flu with NCT information featuring extensively across national press, TV and radio.
Evidence based research This year saw the culmination of a threeyear research project to identify effective interventions for communication, information and support for parents of a premature baby. Project POPPY was funded by Big Lottery Fund and, as a result of the report, NCT is calling for all UK neonatal units to ensure that communication is of a consistently high standard, that there is improvement in facilities and even more effective engagement with parents.
Although our information was initially reported incorrectly, the press team dealt with this quickly and many papers issued written retractions. A national survey by the University of Wolverhampton highlighted how high-profile spokespeople have enormous power to reassure and inform the public in the event of a health scare, with Belinda Phipps rated as ninth in a national survey of the best risk communicators in relation to swine flu health concerns (incidentally, the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown came in at number 15).
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NCT remains at the heart of the community for all parents. New parents often don’t know other people with young children or don’t live close to them, so meeting other parents for peer support and to share experiences is invaluable.
Our local network of 318 branches covers every postcode in the UK and is the local face of NCT. Run by committed volunteers, our branches have a busy calendar of social events from days out with other families to Bumps and Babies groups. This vital level of support creates lasting friendships between parents, which leads to a valuable source of reassurance and information in pregnancy and the early days after birth.
NCT free helplines Our confidential helplines provide practical support to parents on pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding. This year we received on average 2,583 calls a month across these two helplines:
How our branches make a difference NCT branches run thousands of family events every year. Nearly New Sales are NCT’s single largest fundraiser, providing parents-to-be with an affordable way of purchasing items for their new arrival as well as helping to ensure that baby equipment doesn’t go straight to landfill. 700 sales – an 8.5% increase on last year were held with an estimated 500 tons of baby equipment sold and saved from going to landfill.
In September we launched a new Postnatal line, ensuring all new parents have access to support after the birth of their baby.
Breastfeeding line Pregnancy and birth line
28,000 3,000
In addition, we successfully secured funding for the re-launch of the Shared Experiences helpline, a network of volunteers who listen and help families that have experienced a difficult pregnancy or birth. We expect to recruit 900 peer support contacts for the helpline and handle 2,000 calls.
350, 000
parents and parents-to-be attended NCT events across the UK.
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47% of volunteers c.2 hours a week
Our 10,000 volunteers, who organise branch activities, are the backbone of the NCT, giving their time, energy and skills in a wide range of roles. This includes branch team members and others who help at Nearly New Sales, make refreshments at Bumps and Babies groups, host open houses and deliver newsletters. Volunteer Policy & Charter In 2008 we finalised a Volunteer Policy & Charter, which demonstrates that, as one of the largest volunteer involving charities in the UK, we follow good practice with clear guidelines on how to involve and support volunteers. Volunteer & Specialist Worker Awards Each year acknowledge the dedication, passion and skill of our volunteers and trained workers in helping new parents. Award categories included: > > > > > >
Fundraising success Communication of the year Bumps & Babies Group of the year Local campaign of the year Most supportive specialist worker Reaching all parents
43% Volunteers work c.9 hours a week
In addition, Cynthia Clarkson was short listed as Volunteer of the Year in the Third Sector Excellence Awards for 2009. Cynthia joined the NCT in 1968 and has volunteered for over 40 years. Education & Training We offer training for parents in antenatal teaching, leading postnatal groups and breastfeeding counselling. We currently have over 841 students working towards a Diploma of Higher Education, awarded by The University of Bedfordshire. They will join our existing team of over 800 specialist workers. Parent Education Access Programme Many young women leave school early due to becoming a mum, so NCT has developed a Parent Education Access Programme to help young mums prepare for the challenges of Higher Education. The course is now in its second year and includes residential programmes to provide the students with the time to complete their modules away from the pressures of being a mum.
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Our members are the lifeblood of the charity, becoming volunteers, specialist workers and campaigners, and inspiring advocates for the organisation. In September, we achieved 100,000 members, an increase of 8.3% and an extra £200,000 to support our work – this is particularly impressive given the national and global economic situation.
Diversity and access to services NCT is committed to supporting all parents throughout the transition to parenthood and to ensuring that our services meet the diverse needs of parents from a wide range of backgrounds. As part of these commitments we have started a three-year programme to develop new policies and practices to achieve the aim of increasing access to NCT services. Broadening our reach through professionals We work with health professionals to deliver engaging, positive and informative products and services, with over 13,000 catalogues requested this year. We deliver inspiring workshops that help 450 health professionals feel confident in running antenatal classes and postnatal courses, providing breastfeeding support and working one-to-one with parents.
agreeing that the NCT teachers did a good job and that they would recommend the classes to someone else. Breastfeeding peer support Thanks to Department of Health (England) funding, over 100 parents are training to become breastfeeding peer supporters. This will enable women to continue breastfeeding by training their peers to offer practical and emotional support.
We currently work with five NHS Trusts delivering NCT antenatal classes on contract. This helps the NHS by removing the strain on maternity services and ensures we can give the best possible support to a wider range of parents. An evaluation of 148 antenatal classes taught by NCT teachers at Birmingham Women’s Hospital found 100% of respondants
Number of catalogues requested by health professionals
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NCT is committed to reaching all parents with services that are welcoming, relevant, and responsive to needs. Examples of these projects include:
Scottish fathers network A pioneering Scottish project to work with new fathers who are also recovering drug users. A small group of antenatal dads helped men to make decisions about how they might support their partners and be involved in caring for their new baby. Antenatal classes Antenatal classes in Edinburgh for Muslim women who would not normally have access to antenatal classes due to barriers of language, low confidence and lack of childcare for other children and have specific religious and cultural needs. Chapeltown project The long-standing collaboration between Sure Start and NCT continues to help vulnerable women in Chapeltown, an area of high deprivation in Leeds. Surveyed local pregnant women wanted free antenatal classes, so NCT teachers created a drop-in, weekly rolling programme of classes, open to both men and women. Choices A Brighton-based NCT initiative which helps young parents by supporting new mums with no previous experience of motherhood. This project aims to dispel myths that young mums are irresponsible and remove the feelings of isolation.
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We work in partnership with a variety of organisations including governments across the UK, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and other third sector organisations to facilitate development of information tailored to a range of different needs. Here we outline some key partnerships from this year.
MIDIRS Midwives Information and Resource Service (MIDIRS) is the educational charity for midwives providing information relating to childbirth to assist in the improvement of maternity care. Our work with MIDIRS aims to support parentcentred work in maternity services through utilising both organisations knowledge and information. This relationship has been well received and beneficial to both charities. 10,000 MIDIRS subscribers receive a copy of Perspective: the NCT publication for parentcentred midwifery – a new quarterly publication to promote innovation and good practice among maternity services by showcasing positive examples from the NHS, social care and NCT. Our own specialist workers receive access to MIDIRS data as part of their continuing professional development.
NCT & Mumsnet We realise it’s not always possible to meet up in person, so we have a range of egroups and forums offering online support for new parents, enabling people to share information, experiences and thoughts. Many NCT volunteers use online forums as well as NCT forums, so in 2008 NCT teamed up with Mumsnet, an online service for parents. The route into Mumsnet via NCT increases the number of parents using Mumsnet and NCT forums.
10, 000 midwives read NCT Perspective magazine
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Bliss Our work with Bliss, the premature baby charity, culminated in the POPPY report this year, produced alongside other partners, RCNRI at University of Warwick (formerly the research team at the Royal College of Nursing Institute) and NPEU (The National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit). The report enabled NCT and Bliss to produce support materials for parents, and good practice guidance and training programmes for health professionals.
Commercial relationships As a charity with minimal funding from government, our commercial relationships enable us to provide information and services to a much wider range of parents. Unilever sponsors our membership magazine NewGen, allowing us to concentrate on quality content, and our Nearly New Sales, ensuring our branches have relevant support and guidance to continue this important fundraising work. Other partners include Pampers who sponsor the NCT antenatal class packs, which are sent to all parents who enquire about this service whether they attend a class or not; as well as Vitabiotics and Family Investments, a leading UK Child Trust Fund provider. Our Sponsorship, Commercial Relationships and Advertising Policy (SCRAP) underpins the fundraising activity we undertake and protects the integrity, ethics and reputation of NCT as a charity.
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NCT has been fighting for and winning change for parents for over 50 years. Our campaigning work focuses on providing improved services, support and health outcomes for all parents and parents-tobe across the UK.
NCT Active Our activist network was created to support people in campaigning for change in their local area and to get involved in NCT national campaigns. Our 700 activists use a range of tactics from user representation to lobbying and consultation. Now one year old, NCT Active: •
Provides resources and materials including a Lobbying Guide.
•
Responds to local queries and alerts.
•
Provides training and skills development at regional events.
advertising and promotion of infant formula and follow-on formula. End Child Poverty In October 2008, NCT Active joined 10,000 campaign supporters at the End Child Poverty rally in London and urged the Government to keep its promise to halve child poverty by 2020. The Government missed the opportunity to make real progress towards eradicating child poverty and so NCT activists and the Campaign to End Child Poverty will continue to put pressure on the Government to keep its promise.
Baby feeding We campaign for all parents to feel supported in their decisions about how they feed their babies and want to see a culture that supports breastfeeding. Parents who decide to use formula milk must be able to access clear, non-commercial information. We are a founding member of the Breastfeeding Manifesto Coalition, which campaigns to increase UK breastfeeding rates. We also succeeded in getting the Government to review the effect of new regulations on the labelling, presentation,
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Bisphenol A NCT is calling for manufacturers to remove Bisphenol A (BPA) from baby bottles as there are alternative plastics that do not contain BPA. In response to a letter to Philips AVENT from NCT, Philips AVENT announced that it is adding a BPAfree reusable bottle to its range of babyfeeding products. Philips AVENT is also changing its packaging to clearly label the materials used to make each product in its babyfeeding range and will clearly mark the products that are BPA-free. Keeping Childbirth Natural and Dynamic (KCND) in Scotland The Scottish Government Health Directorates established KCND, which aims to maximise opportunities for women to have a natural birth experience. NCT has been actively supporting this new programme and monitoring the progress made by the Scottish Government. In addition, we held a Reaching Out conference with NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde for new parents, parents-to-be, health professionals and agencies in April 2009. The conference increased awareness of the KCND programme in Glasgow and surrounding areas.
Maternity Units awarded for innovative services The All Party Parliamentary Group on Maternity (APPGM), which is serviced by NCT, highlights maternity issues within Parliament. We bring together health professionals and politicians to raise the profile and improve maternity services. We highlight areas of good maternity practice to politicians through an annual awards, cosponsored by NCT. Last year eight outstanding maternity units won awards and a further five units were commended. The awards were presented at a reception in July 2009 at the Houses of Parliament.
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Income
Voluntary Trading to raise funds Charitable activities
For full details visit www.nct.org.uk/ review
Voluntary Trading to raise funds Charitable activities
£790,000 £3,880,000 £7,460,000
Total
£12,130,000
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£400,000 increase in income
Spending
Voluntary Trading to raise funds Charitable activities Governance
Voluntary Trading to raise funds Charitable activities Governance
£70,000 £2,560,000 £9,850,000 £100,000
Total
£12,580,000
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NCT would like to thank all our supporters, especially those listed here, for their support during the year…
Major Corporate Sponsors ARDO medical AXA PPP Healthcare Britax Coca Cola DHL Ford Motor Co Kenco Coffee Land Rover Jaguar Medela Pampers Persil Non-Bio & Comfort Pure Russell Jones & Walker
Grant Funders Awards for All – £162,700 19x ANT (1yr), 6x PNL (1yr), 8x BFC (1yr), 1x BF drop in, 6x bumps & babies groups, 8x leaflet printing, 28x conference places, 2x peer support projects, 1 branch library, 1 laptop, 3x newsletter printing, 1x disadvantaged families project, 1x dad’s project, 1x branch split, 1x yoga training, 1x regional day, 1x branch PR & advertising Grassroots Grants - £11,068 4x BFCs (1yr), 1x ANT expenses, 1x ANT (2yrs), 1x leaflet translation Sheffield PCT - £10,000 x2 BFCs (2yrs) Wolgarston/Codsall Community and Learning Partnership - £8,500 2x BFCs (3yrs)
Vitabiotics
Association of Jersey Charities - £7,600 1x BFC (3yrs)
Grants funders Department of Health - £5,000 for Breastfeeding Peer Support
Waltham Forest PCT - £7,068 x1 BFC tutorial group
Scottish Executive - £6,000 for outreach worker training in Scotland John Ellerman Foundation - £20,000 for Shared Experiences Register
Roddons Housing Association - £6,110 1x ANT (3yrs) Richard Lawes Foundation - £6,000 towards 5x ANTs (1yr)
Austin, Hope & Pilkington Trust - £1,000 for Shared Experiences Register Big Lottery Fund - £16,000 for Premature Baby project Parenting Fund - £19,000 for North West Development with Sowing Seeds Dept of Health - £38,000 for Improving Choice and Access Project (West Midlands) Big Lottery Fund - £10,000 for Investing in Ideas Scotland
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Our websites www.nct.org.uk Our helplines Pregnancy & Birth Line - 0300 330 0772 Breastfeeding Line - 0300 330 0771 Postnatal Line - 0300 330 0773 Enquiries Line - 0300 330 0770 In your area Our local branches offer support for parents and parents-to-be, and organise a range of activities and events. NCT classes and courses NCT antenatal and postnatal courses are always local to you wherever you are in the UK. Support us Whether it is membership, your time or fundraising, your support means that our work can continue.
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