Melton City Council has been a Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace since February 2011
With an increasing number of women returning to work within the first year of their baby’s life, Melton City Council is committed finding ways to support female employees. We recognise the benefits of breastfeeding for mother and baby, and we know that supporting female employees to breastfeed at work improves workplace health and wellbeing and increases staff retention.
Melton City Council has more than 750 staff – 550 who are women, and we know it is critically important that our female staff have the opportunity to continue to breastfeed comfortably when they return to work.
In order to increase breastfeeding rates, Council is committed to planning, implementing and evaluating initiatives within the community and the workplace, including the provision of support services and breastfeeding-friendly environments.
Council currently runs the successful and well-attended Breastfeeding Support Service (BFSS), which is available to all mothers living in the City of Melton, as well as Council staff, including those who do not live within the municipality.
In addition, Council has a number of policies to ensure all staff, including those with family commitments, are adequately supported in their professional and personal development. This includes providing a family-friendly workplace environment with benefits such as:
- Flexible working hours
- 15 weeks paid maternity leave
- Two weeks paid paternity leave
- Family room including breastfeeding facilities
- Access to counselling and related services
- Carer's leave for parents with sick children
Melton City Council is the local government body responsible for governing the City of Melton. The municipality is located in Melbourne’s western rural urban fringe and is the fourth-fastest growing area in Australia. Already home to 164,984 residents, a further 52 families arrive weekly and 52 babies are born each week.
While breastfeeding rates have increased over the years in the City of Melton, 2011 Census data identified that breastfeeding rates in the municipality are significantly below the Victorian average.