Letter to members about the PIF Programme

Hello lovely doulas,  

Firstly, a huge thank you for taking the time to respond to our survey about the PIFF. With the wonderful feedback that was provided and further opportunities and ideas that have come to light in the last few weeks, we are excited to announce that it will be called the Pay it Forward Program (PIFP) because, this is going to be MUCH more than just a fund. We are going to partner with other organisations such as The Happy Baby Community, not only to provide doula support to people in need, but also to help people from disadvantaged and marginalised communities to become part of our doula cuddle at the association, by providing subsidised training for doulas in partnership with the Birth Bliss Academy and hopefully in the future, other doula course providers, and then, ongoing support through the Doula Association. We want to have a diverse organisation that truly pays it forward, in as many ways as we can. We are dedicated to putting structures in place to ensure that this is not just a statement but a reality.  
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Survey results – What your lovely voices told us about what you want for the PIFP: 

• 98% of you wanted a fund and 2% Thought that maybe you would, so we are taking that as a resounding YES and throwing all our energy into making it a success. 
• 78% of you that responded said you would consider becoming a PIFP doula, which is wonderful, thank you. So, read on to find out more information and how you can begin your PIFP doula journey.  
• 69% of you were happy to pay for the course in advance and you had different ideas about how much you would want to pay for the course. We wanted to make becoming a PIF doula accessible to all our members, no matter your financial situation, if you felt that you wanted to, so, we are setting up the course in such a way as to enable you to attend, even if you cannot pay for it up front. The course fee will simply be taken out of your first PIF client payment. 
• The course will cover the following, so will be useful in your work as a doula even if you are not planning to work for the PIFP: 
  • What is Trauma 
  • Trauma Response – What happens 
  • ACEs – Adverse Childhood Experiences 
  • Epigenetics and Intergenerational Trauma 
  • Multiple Disadvantage 
  • Polyvagal Theory 
  • Effective Communication in the Birth Space 
  • Somatic Awareness 
  • How to signpost and refer for safeguarding concerns 
  • Maintaining healthy boundaries  
  • Coping strategies for bearing witness and holding a safe space 
  • Self-Care 
  • PIFP procedure, documents, how it will work 

 

• 83% said you would like regular zoom reflection/debrief/support sessions, so we will arrange these once a month for any issues, questions, reflections, and a chance to connect and chat with other doulas in a safe space. 
• 89% said you would like/may like access to one-to-one mentor/debriefing sessions when working for the PIFP so we will set this up so that you can arrange a phone call or a zoom meeting with an experience doula to chat through anything that is coming up for you. A safe space and self-care is hugely important. 

• We had a wide range of fees that people felt were appropriate for the course, so we are going to set the course fee as £75 with the option to donate more to the fund if you feel that you would like to, are able to or you feel the course was worth it. Once we have covered the costs of the training, the rest of the course fee will go directly to the PIFP, so we can keep paying it forward. 
• Half of you said you would be willing to volunteer your time for free sometimes and be paid other times. Firstly, I just want to say that your generosity of spirit has really humbled me, and I wanted to acknowledge how amazing you all are. Thank you. We value your work as doulas hugely, we know how important your time and dedication are and we want you to feel appreciated as well as valuing yourselves highly.  
• The range for which you were all happy to work for the PIFP varied hugely. We want to create the best possible balance in order to be fair and pay an amount that values your time and dedication, as well as being able to support as many people as possible, so, much as we would love to be able to pay you all thousands, as really your help is priceless, we only have finite funds, so, we are suggesting that payment be on a sliding scale, determined by you. We will be able to pay a maximum of £500 per birth and a maximum of £15 per hour, up to a maximum of £500 for postnatal support from the PIFP, but you are able to invoice us for whatever you feel you need, up to this amount. If it is the full £500, we respect that and are hugely grateful (as we know for most, this is a significant reduction compared to your private work) and if you feel you have a bit of wiggle room and are happy to leave some money in the pot for the next person, then thank you. When people apply to the fund, they will also be asked if they are financially able, to make some contribution towards their doula support which will go directly into the fund and subsidise the amount paid to you or to the next person, thus paying it forward. 
• The responses we had to our criteria were very helpful, over half of you agreed, but some were unclear as to what we meant, so I have reframed the wording to hopefully appear more inclusive, as everything everyone suggested was already included in our criteria but evidently was not apparent in our wording. ​

All people applying to the pay it forward program, from every race, religion, relationship status, sexual or gender orientation are welcome. Successful applicants will be able to search for a PIFP registered doula on the doula directory. You can apply either for birth or postnatal support (but not for both). You must fulfil the following criteria to apply and be able to provide documentation as evidence that you: 

• Are experiencing financial hardship and are on income support (please provide document evidence) 

 /OR are experiencing financial hardship (but are not eligible or have not yet been able to claim income support) AND fulfil one or more of the following criteria (evidence will need to be provided) 

• Are fleeing domestic violence or abuse  
• Are a survivor of trafficking and are seeking asylum 
• Have no recourse to public funds status 
• Are homeless or living in temporary accommodation  
• Have a disability that significantly impacts your daily life and can provide a letter from a healthcare provider to show this 
• Have a mental health condition that significantly impacts your daily life and can provide a letter from a healthcare provider to show this 
• Are in the prison or probation system 

 
If you do not fit our eligibility criteria for the pay it forward fund, please do search for doulas in your local area and see if they are able to meet your budget. Many doulas work on a sliding scale and may be able to help you at a reduced fee.   
  

• Applications to the fund will be managed by an experienced referrals co-ordinator, so please be reassured that we will do our absolute best to make sure the fund and your amazing support as the doulas, is appreciated and going to the people who are most in need of support.  
• We had an excellent suggestion for PIF doulas to link up with other local doulas to provide shared care as part of PIF support and we are absolutely on board with this idea and will be happy to link you up according to geographical location, so that you can manage and liaise however works best for you and your clients. The PIF clients will be choosing the doula that feels right for them from the doula directory and as with private clients, their wishes regarding their care must be respected. 
• Most of you decided that one-off or monthly contributions to the fund, of your choosing, would work best for you. We are so very grateful to everyone who said they would consider percentage donations of their income, one off donations or regular monthly donations. We want to make this easy for you. So, soon you will be able to make a one-off payment to the PIFP and set up regular donations. Watch this space!  

• We will soon have an option to add a donation onto your monthly Doula Association membership fee, to be able to easily donate to the PIFP on a regular basis, without hassle, if you would like to do so.  
• Thank you to the people who offered their kind help with Grant applications and sourcing corporate sponsorship. I will be in touch very soon to gather your wonderful expertise so we can get this pot as full as possible, ready for the launch of the fund in 2022. 
• Nearly all of you said you would like us to organise some fun doula gatherings to help to raise money for the PIFP, so watch this space for some exciting events coming soon. 
• We are very happy to report a 4.65 out of 5-star rating from you about what we have been doing so far at The Doula Association. We welcome feedback and ideas moving forward as we try to make this the best organisation it can possibly be, so if you have any questions, any feedback, positive or negative, constructive criticism, etc, we are happy to hear from you. This organisation is for the benefit of all doulas.  

How do I become a PIFP doula? 
Click here to fill in the application form 

Booking for PIFP doula course 
Firstly, fill in the application here, then booking information will be sent to you 

How do I or my friends and family donate to the PIFP? 
You can make a one-off donation. We will be launching very soon! 
You can set up a regular donation soon, we will let you know when. 

What does PIFP doula birth support include? 

• Antenatal sessions in the lead up to birth to have time to talk through your birth preferences and questions with your doula, either in person, over the phone or via zoom or another online platform 
• An on-call period where you are the doula’s highest priority, beginning two weeks before your estimated birth date. You can call them any time of the day or night when you believe you are in labour, and they will come to support you when you have both agreed the time is right. 
• The doula will support you at your birth and will only leave when you have both agreed it is the right time to do so, 
• Your doula can help support you with your first feed. 
• The doula will return for one postnatal visit to check on you and your new family member/members, for a chance for you to talk about the birth and any postnatal concerns or questions you may have. 
• When the support from your doula is complete, please fill in the support completion form as soon as possible. 

 
What does PIFP doula postnatal support include? 

• Post-natal visits from a doula, which will be a minimum of 3 hours in length for each session. 
• You will agree with your doula times and days that suit you both for postnatal care. 
• Your doula will explain to you the maximum number of sessions they are able to provide under the criteria of the PIFP. 
• A postnatal doula is there to support you after your birth. You can speak with your doula about what help you feel you will need. Perhaps support with feeding, someone to hold and care for your baby whilst you take a much-needed nap or shower, someone to talk to about your birth experience or things that are on your mind about the baby. Some doulas can help with making a nutritious meal or doing light housework. All doulas are different so you can search for the doula that feels right for you. If the doula does not personally know the answer to a question you have, they will help signpost you to the correct support. 
• When the support from your doula is complete, please fill in the support completion form as soon as possible. 

If you have any questions or comments, please do get in touch referrals@thedoulaassociation.org 

We hope you all have a wonderful summer,  

Shellie Poulter 
Referrals Coordinator ​