WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor

The Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program is a supplemental nutrition program, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Education, EBT benefits and referrals are offered, free of charge, to low-income pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, and infants and children younger than five years of age. The goal of the program is to improve the health of this at-risk group.

The commitment of the WIC program is to provide nutritional support (i.e., education and strategies for a healthy diet, supplemental foods, referrals and breastfeeding promotion/support), during critical times of growth and development to improve health and achieve positive health outcomes for the above mentioned at risk group.

The WIC Peer Counselor is responsible for breastfeeding promotion to WIC participants. This includes providing education and support to WIC participants through group nutrition education classes, organizing activities related to breastfeeding promotion and presenting accurate breastfeeding information.

The WIC Peer Counselor will have the ability to work well with people and have good customer service practices. This position works as a team member with other WIC staff and CoAction to help build and maintain the fidelity of the WIC program.

The WIC Peer Counselor is expected to be an active participant in the agency’s mission, vision, and values. He/she shall work to ensure consistent, quality services to the agency’s constituents, demonstrate enthusiasm, initiative, and flexibility in assignments and maintain positive working relationships and communication with all agency personnel, will be inclusive, communicative and will establish himself/herself as a primary resource to those he/she works with.

WIC Peer Counselor:

• Is an active member of the WIC Program and CoAction Team
  
• Promotes breastfeeding within the community and the clinic in conjunction with outreach activities of the WIC program
  
• Recruits and trains new Peer Counselors according to ISDH Loving Support Peer Counselor Training program.
  
• Responsible for participating in all mandatory meetings, conferences, trainings and updates as designated by the WIC Program Breastfeeding Supervisor, ISDH and CoAction.
  
• Provides advanced breastfeeding counseling to breastfeeding participants who may encounter minor problems as well as provide follow up to those breastfeeding mothers.
  
• Individually counsels pregnant and breastfeeding mothers about normal breastfeeding methods and how to avoid common breastfeeding problems. The WIC Peer Counselor is responsible for accurately recording counseling encounters with participants in the identified automated software system in a timely manner.
  
• Counsels WIC pregnant or nursing mothers as requested or assigned and follows up with new mothers as needed.
  
• Teaches nutrition education classes for pregnant and breastfeeding women enrolled in the WIC Program.
  
• Distributes breastfeeding information in prenatal/breastfeeding classes.
  
• Provides accurate information and promotion of the benefits of breastfeeding. Also, addresses specific concerns of expectant mothers.
  
• Assist with participant education of the proper breastfeeding pump use before distribution to ensure proper success of usage.
  

• Be a current or previous breastfeeding mother that has exclusively breastfed for at least six months in the last 5 years
  
• Be willing to successfully complete WIC Peer Counselor training
  
• Basic knowledge of clerical work (filing, data entry, telephone etiquette, etc.) required
  
• Excellent writing/editing and verbal communication skills.
  
• Self-starter, able to work independently, service oriented with attention to detail
  

Area Agency on Aging and Community Action Agency for Northwest Indiana, founded in 1965, the CoAction Mission is to ensure the people who experience financial hardship find opportunities, resources, and respect. We do this by helping individuals of all ages and families, through direct services and referrals.

Serving residents in Lake, Porter, Jasper, Newton, Pulaski, and Starke Counties