In 2007 the Royal College of Midwives and the Department of Health commissioned research into the current situation in relation to Maternity Support Workers (MSWs) in England with a specific focus on their learning and development needs and how these can be addressed. In 2009 the Royal College of Midwives undertook an update to the report in order to reflect new service driven policy directives as well as the admission of MSWs to membership of the RCM.
 
After an analysis of current arrangements, the report makes recommendations to improve the learning offer for MSWs in order to deliver better outcomes for women, staff and healthcare organisations.
 
The report triangulates existing evidence on the role, preparation and integration of MSWs in maternity services, with contextual analysis of the organisational, learning and maternity environment in which these roles are being developed, and the ‘lived’ learning experiences of MSWs.
 
The research and analysis in the report starts from the premise that MSWs make a valuable contribution to maternity service delivery and that their learning and development deserves attention.
 
Click here to download the complete report.