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Breastfeeding and oral health
This badge is awarded to social services workers who complete the Breastfeeding module on Turas and reflect on the benefits of breastfeeding and its links to oral health.
Do you work with parents and families who are breastfeeding, or thinking about it? This badge will help you feel more confident having supportive, well-informed conversations about breastfeeding and the part it plays in a child’s oral health.
Breastfeeding can shape a child’s health from the very start, including how their teeth and mouth develop. Workers across early years, dental and community health roles are often well placed to offer families encouragement and accurate information, but the benefits, difficulties and wider influences on breastfeeding are not always fully understood.
By earning this badge, you will show that you understand why breastfeeding matters for the mother, the baby and the wider community and that you can put that understanding to work in your everyday practice.
Completing this badge will help you:
- understand the benefits, difficulties and influences of breastfeeding for mothers, babies and communities
- recognise the links between breastfeeding and oral health
- share clear, accurate key messages with the families you support
- apply your learning to improve outcomes for the people who use your service
- feel more confident talking about breastfeeding as part of your role.
You can earn this badge by completing the Breastfeeding module on Turas and reflecting on how you will use what you have learned in your work. You will need to set up a free account to access the module if this is your first time using Turas.
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You must not use any generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to plan, write or improve your evidence for this badge.
To earn this badge you will need to:
- complete the Breastfeeding module on Turas
- explain your understanding of the benefits, difficulties and influences of breastfeeding for the mother, the baby and the community, and its links to oral health (100–200 words)
- describe how you will apply what you have learned in your day-to-day practice to improve outcomes for the people you support, including any changes you have made or intend to make (150–300 words)
- describe how you have shared what you learned with at least one colleague, including when and how you did this and what their response was (50–100 words).
There is a maximum word count for this badge of 600 words.
Your application will be returned to you with a request for further evidence if it does not meet all the above criteria or is unclear which of these questions you are answering within your evidence.
There are no prerequisites for this badge.
You will need to submit a written statement of at least 300 but no more than 600 words in response to the questions asked in the criteria. You can write your statement directly on the badge application form or paste a link to your own blog or portfolio.
Remember to always write in the first person, using words like “I,” “me,” and “my” when talking about your learning and practice.
When preparing your evidence, consider the following guidance for each question:
Your understanding of breastfeeding (100–200 words)
- Explain what you now understand about the benefits, difficulties and influences of breastfeeding for the mother, the baby and the community.
- Describe the links you have identified between breastfeeding and oral health.
- Consider what surprised you or what you learned that you did not already know.
Applying your learning (150–300 words)
- Be specific about the changes you have made, or will make, to support the people you work with.
- Connect your learning to the families you support and the setting you work in.
- Consider any challenges you anticipate and how you would approach them.
Sharing your learning (50–100 words)
- State how you shared your learning, for example in a team meeting, a handover or a conversation with a colleague.
- Describe what you shared and why you chose that particular aspect of your learning.
- Note how your colleague responded and any difference it made to their practice or yours.
We will also accept an audio or video submission if you prefer.
The evidence you submit will be viewable by anyone who you show your badge to. Do not include confidential or private information within your submission.
Badge issuer
Scottish Social Services Council
Our work means the people of Scotland can count on social work, social care and children and young people services being provided by a trusted, skilled, confident and valued workforce.
Submit your application
Terms and conditions
1. I have read, understood and completed all activities listed in the badge criteria. The evidence I have provided answers each question from the criteria.
2. I confirm that the evidence I have submitted is free from personally identifiable information of others. Nobody can be identified, directly or indirectly, from any examples I provide.
3. I confirm that I have not used generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) to plan or write any of the evidence I have provided. This is my own original work and I have not copied it from anywhere or anyone else. I understand that all AI assistance is banned under the rules for Open Badge applications.
4. I give consent for the SSSC and the people I share this badge with to use plagiarism and AI detection tools to validate the authenticity of the evidence I have submitted.
5. I understand that it may take up to 28 days to assess my application and that feedback cannot always be provided if it is unsuccessful.
Your evidence, name, and email address will be sent to the organisation who issue this badge