Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to promote the value of antenatal education to expecting mothers, expecting fathers and newborn babies.

It is important that every woman receives high quality care and information, both during and after pregnancy.

The provision of antenatal education is provided locally to meet the needs of the local community. Some maternity services provide antenatal classes free of charge or at a cost through private organisations, such as the NCT (formerly known as National Childbirth Trust). National Health Service classes are generally organised and run by midwives or health visitors and take place in health centres hospitals or Sure Start Children’s Centres. A woman will need to discuss with her midwife opportunities for antenatal education in her area.

To support providers of antenatal education, ‘Preparation for Birth and Beyond: a resource pack for leaders of community groups and activities’ was launched on 19 October 2011. The pack is aimed at anyone involved in planning or running groups for expectant or new parents, such as midwives, health visitors, children’s centre staff and voluntary organisations. The pack is a practical tool which draws upon the best available evidence and aims to improve outcomes for babies and parents.