Things to Consider
Do you have childcare or are your children at nursery/school?
While the attendees of the group have their babies/children with them, you need to be able to give your full focus and attention, which you won’t be able to do with your child(ren) present. This is what makes the distinction between an informal mum and baby group and a peer support session.
Are you ready, emotionally and mentally?
Being a peer supporter is a demanding role. Some of the topics may well be upsetting or have the potential to trigger a reaction, for example, a traumatic birth story. Make sure you have support around you from family and friends.
Are you able to manage the administration of a group as well as the running of it?
It’s not just a case of turning up. You have to organise a venue, advertise, prepare the session, register your participants, not to mention costs like insurance, website design and hosting, the cost of DBS or safeguarding training. The organisation of a group costs money, so you will either need to charge fees high enough to cover the costs or apply for funding, perhaps from your local council or a community venue to meet those costs.
