BEST Services began in November 1992 with a mission to enable infants and children, their mothers and families to benefit from optimal infant and young child feeding and care. BEST Services works on an international basis.
The goals of BEST Services are to:
- educate families, health workers and the wider community on the importance of breastfeeding, infant and young child feeding and care, and maternal care and nutrition;
- support women and families in breastfeeding and in providing optimal care for their children;
- inform and train health workers, and others, so that they can implement evidence-based practices to provide appropriate care to mothers and families.
BEST Services works towards these goals by:
- assisting health organisations/providers to develop, implement, audit and evaluate policies and practice guidelines;
- delivering presentations and courses for pre-service education, continuing education and skills development for health workers and community breastfeeding counsellors;
- conducting Train the Trainer courses to ensure wide availability and sustainability of education and support;
- carrying out audits, surveys and research related to breastfeeding/infant feeding and associated health care practices;
- designing breastfeeding/infant feeding strategies at facility, regional and national level;
- developing and providing educational materials for health organisations/providers, schools, the wider community and individual mothers;
- facilitating health providers to discuss individual situations they encounter and find care options to consider;
- providing a one-to-one and small group lactation consultant services;
- assisting employers to develop and implement workplace breastfeeding support initiatives;
- fostering awareness of the importance of health, happy children as an important asset to a community's future.
BEST Services is led by:
Dr Genevieve Becker, a dietitian/nutritionist and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant who has worked in maternal, infant and young child feeding, particularly in breastfeeding, for over 25 years. Genevieve was a volunteer counsellor with a mother-to-mother support group for 20 years. She has earned a Masters of Science (Community Health), a Masters in Education and a PhD, which examined assessment of health worker performance in assisting mothers to learn skills related to breastfeeding.
Genevieve's recent activities included National Coordinator of the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative in Ireland and continues to be involved in training of health workers in infant feeding and young child feeding nationally and for international agencies such as WHO and UNICEF.
CORU Regulating Health and Social Care Professional
(Ireland) Statutory Register of Dietitians #DI0007914
