How to become a maternity support worker
You can become a maternity support worker by applying for a vacancy on our recruitment website or doing a Modern Apprenticeship.
What is a maternity support worker?
Maternity support workers assist midwifery teams in providing high-quality clinical and person-centred care to women, birthing people, and families. Supervised by a registered midwife, they work in a range of settings, including:
- birth centres
- midwife-led units
- consultant-led units
- operating theatres
- the community
Maternity support workers do not make clinical decisions about care. Instead, they assist in delivering personalised plans centred on the individual needs of women and birthing people, as well as their antenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal care choices.
Starting your career as a maternity support worker
Choosing subjects at school
To become a maternity support worker, you'll need a good standard of education. Useful subjects include:
- Biology
- English
- Maths
Speak to your guidance teacher or careers adviser about subjects offered at your school.
Work placements and volunteering
You may find it helpful to get some healthcare experience by doing a work placement or volunteering. You’ll get training, increase your knowledge, and learn new skills. This could help you when applying for a new job with NHSScotland.
Modern Apprenticeships
A Modern Apprenticeship will help you get the knowledge, skills, and experience you need to reach your career goal.
All Healthcare Support Modern Apprentices study 3 mandatory units:
- Communicate effectively in a healthcare environment.
- Make sure your own actions reduce risks to health and safety.
- Develop your own knowledge and practice.
You'll choose your remaining units from the clinical pathway options for midwifery.
Get to know the role
As a maternity support worker, you’ll provide clinical and therapeutic support as part of a multi-professional maternity care programme. You’ll also create and maintain supportive relationships with women, birthing people, and their families.
Your main tasks could include:
- support midwives in providing safe and person-centred maternity care in hospitals and community settings
- participate in the handover and the start and end of your shift
- assist new mothers and birthing people in caring for their babies
- provide health promotion advice
- help women and birthing people with personal care needs, including bed baths, toileting, and oral hygiene
- carry out and record physiological observations, including respiratory rate, heart rate, and blood pressure
- take blood and urine samples for testing
- provide parenting advice about the safety and wellbeing of babies
- acknowledge and respect a person’s beliefs, preferences, and choices, valuing them as individuals
- make sure women, birthing people and babies’ nutritional needs are met by assisting with drinking and feeding
- help with postnatal exercises
- provide administrative support to the midwifery team
- maintain high standards of cleanliness and hygiene within clinical areas
- document all care provided in the appropriate patient records
- guide and support less experienced staff in the team
You’ll need these skills:
- caring
- empathy
- focusing
- communicating
- motivating and encouraging people
- building relationships
- collaborating
You could work with:
- midwives
- obstetricians
- anaesthetists
- gynaecologists
- sonographers
- GPs
- health visitors
- neonatal nurses
You could work in:
- birth centres
- people’s homes
- midwife-led units
- consultant-led units
- operating theatres
- GP practices
- health centres
Learning and development
When joining the NHS, you'll work through the Mandatory Induction Standards. These standards are designed to help you work safely and must be completed within 3 to 6 months of employment. They will also support you in your first steps as a new maternity support worker.
Find out about the Mandatory Induction Standards for new healthcare support workers.
In your role, you must also complete work-based training to comply with healthcare delivery procedures and protocols. This could include:
- infection control
- breastfeeding support
- risk management
- child protection
- health and safety
Your career development will be planned and reviewed with your manager annually through the Personal Development Planning (PDP) cycle.
Learn more about preparing for your personal development review.
Career progression
While working in the NHS, you’ll have access to learning and development opportunities to help you progress in your career. This could mean taking on more responsibilities or moving to a senior maternity support worker role.
Certificate of Higher Education Maternity Care Assistant Programme
If you're a maternity support worker, you could gain additional qualifications to become a maternity care assistant. The University of the West of Scotland delivers the Certificate of Higher Education Maternity Care Assistant Programme at SCQF level 7.
Pre-registration undergraduate midwifery degree programmes
If you’re a maternity support worker or maternity care assistant, the following qualifications are recognised entry options to pre-registration undergraduate midwifery degree programmes:
- HNC in Healthcare Practice at SCQF level 7
- CertHE Maternity Care Assistant at SCQF level 7
Find out more about routes into midwifery for support workers.
Professional bodies
The Royal College of Midwives is a trade union and professional organisation that supports the whole midwifery team. Find out more about the RCM.
Navigate page
Explore careers
Discover the skills and qualifications you’ll need for each role and what the work will be like.
Explore careers
Help with recruitment
We'll guide you through the recruitment process, from applying online to interview preparation.
Discover more