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Volunteer Development Scotland Ltd. (also known as Volunteer Scotland).
Charity registered in Scotland SC013740 and a company limited by guarantee, registered in Scotland, No. SC106743. Our registered Office is Jubilee House, Forthside Way, Stirling. FK8 1QZ

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Birth Companion - Supporting parents when they need it most

Please Note:
💚 You must live in Glasgow or be able to commute easily to hospitals.
💚In-person sessions in Glasgow city centre (all mandatory): *Aug 21, 22. *Sep 4, 11, 18, 19, 22, 29. *Oct 2 , 6, 23, 30
*Nov 3, 10.
Birth companions offer emotional and practical support to women and birthing people in Glasgow who need extra care during pregnancy and childbirth. The support our volunteers provide helps improve birth outcomes and experiences for people facing inequalities.
When you join Amma, you’re joining a compassionate community making a tangible impact on families. No previous birth experience is required — we’ll train and support you every step of the way.
Next application deadline: 21 June 2026
You’ll provide personalised support to families from their third trimester until birth, which may include:
Accompanying mothers to antenatal appointments
Helping create personalised birth plans
Providing emotional and hands-on support during labour and birth (including inductions and Caesarean births)
Offering a calm, reassuring presence and emotional support throughout the pregnancy/birth experience
Advocating for birth rights and choices
Supporting infant feeding immediately after birth
Visiting families after birth to say goodbye
Keeping simple but thorough records in our client database
You’ll work in small teams with other volunteers and Amma’s Perinatal Team Leaders.
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.

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.

Support
Training details

We recruit and train new birth companions twice per year. Here are the key dates for the August 2026 cohort:
Application deadline: 21 June 2026
Interviews: 8 June-3 July 2026
Online training: 13 July-20 August (self-paced)
In-person sessions in Glasgow city centre (all mandatory): *Aug 21, 22. *Sep 4, 11, 18, 19, 22, 29. *Oct 2 , 6, 23, 30
*Nov 3, 10.
View full training schedule in application form.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. We will begin to reach out to candidates at each application deadline.

Restrictions

Minimum age: 21

Location - You must live within or be able to easily commute to Glasgow hospitals.

Frequency & commitment
Flexible

Volunteers (aged 21-25) taking part in this opportunity are eligible to claim Saltire Awards hours for their activity.
Find out more