.The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) is the largest and best known childbirth and parenting charity in Europe and is run by parents for parents. We are the voice of parents on antenatal, birth and postnatal issues. We provide a range of quality educational and support services for parents at local level and promote the principle of informed choice for women and their partners. Set up 46 years ago, on 4 May 1956, we campaigned for the presence of partners at birth, and the rooming in of babies with their mothers.
The NCT is a registered charity, and a membership organisation with over 40,000 members across the UK.
We provide a range of services including: antenatal classes, postnatal discussion groups, breastfeeding counselling, well researched information, a network of over 380 local branches each with their own volunteer co-ordinating committee, social events, networks for parents facing particular challenges or traumatic experiences, and other services besides. Our services are available to everyone.
The NCT also acts as the voice of parents on national issues such as woman centred maternity services - services which offer women choice, control and continuity of care. Over forty years of determined campaigning, on a variety of issues, to benefit parents now and for generations to come.
In 2002 the NCT has published a Birth Policy79 to guide the services and information it offers to parents, and to direct its campaigning. The Birth Policy has 12 principles, based on the belief that parents' experience of birth should enrich their lives, and that maternity services should be managed to increase the numbers of women having straightforward births.
To see the NCT Birth Policy (Summary) .
To see the NCT Birth Policy (Full Text) .
To visit the NCT website for more information about the NCT .
|
|
|