Parent supporter - Flexible support for families when they need It most

• Amma Birth Companions

• VO104398

Please Note:
💚 You must live in Glasgow or be able to commute easily to hospitals.
💚 In-person training sessions in Glasgow city centre (all mandatory): January 16, 17, 20, 27, 30, 31 / February 3, 10, 24 / March 3, 10, 17, 24, 30
Parent Supporters offer emotional and practical support to our clients during late pregnancy, birth, and/or the early postnatal period. This is our most flexible companionship role — perfect for those with limited availability or less flexible schedules.

Next application deadline: 20 November 2025

Parent Supporters are trained to provide the same high-quality emotional and practical support as our birth and postnatal companions, but within a more flexible role.

This dynamic role allows you to step in wherever families need help most, whether that’s attending a planned Caesarean birth, making postnatal visits, or accompanying parents to appointments. Rather than being assigned to a specific parent for their entire journey, you will fill critical gaps in support and strengthen our overall companionship services.

Support is tailored to each parent and volunteers’ availability, but may include:

Providing practical support during pregnancy or following birth (e.g., dropping off donated baby items, preparing the home to welcome a new baby, stocking the fridge)
Offering emotional support and/or advocacy at antenatal or postnatal appointments
Shopping for essential items in an emergency
Working as part of a wider support team to ensure clients’ needs are met
Using interpreters to overcome language barriers
Informing staff when referrals to other agencies are needed
Keeping simple but thorough records in our client database

Before applying to volunteer as a parent supporter, please consider the following role requirements:

Flexibility - Share your availability and take on tasks that fit your schedule. Minimum 5 hours per month.
Practical support focus - Help with specific tasks like dropping off baby items, stocking fridges, attending appointments, shopping for essentials, or preparing homes for new babies.
Location & mobility - Visiting homes across Glasgow, including those only accessible by stairs and cramped spaces like hotel rooms.
Training commitment - Approximately 40 hours of in-person training in Glasgow and self-directed online learning
Emotional resilience - Supporting families with trauma histories and complex needs. Supervision and team support are provided.
We recruit and train new parent supporters twice per year. Here are the key dates for the January 2026 cohort:

Application deadline: 20 November 2025
Interviews: 17 November–11 December 2025
Recruitment finalised/all candidates notified: 12 December 2025
Online training: Mid-December 2025–March 2026
In-person sessions in Glasgow city centre (all mandatory): January 16, 17, 20, 27 / February 3, 10, 24 / March 3, 10, 17, 24, 30

Experience required

We welcome volunteers from all walks of life. No birth experience is needed, all expenses are covered, and comprehensive training and ongoing support are provided. Before applying, please consider the following role requirements:

Flexibility & reliability - Being on-call from week 37 of pregnancy means being ready to go to the hospital day or night when labour starts. Attending a birth can take 8+ hours.
Time commitment - You'll be required to attend approximately 50 hours of in-person training and complete 20 hours of online training, plus supporting a minimum of three clients per year for at least one year.
Emotional resilience - Supporting clients with trauma histories and witnessing systemic inequalities can be challenging. Supervision and team support are provided.
Location - You must live within or be able to easily commute to Glasgow hospitals.

Travel details

Reasonable travel costs will be reimbursed for volunteers who live within Glasgow or can easily travel to Glasgow hospitals.

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