European Lactation Consultants Alliance (ELACTA)

Mission:
All IBCLC associations within Europe are united by ELACTA. ELACTA stands for professional lactation care, to improve maternal and infant health outcomes.

Vision:
Every IBCLC in Europe is recognised as the professional authority in lactation and breastfeeding care. ELACTA is involved in all aspects of the promotion, protection and support of breastfeeding at local, national and European levels, reaching out to the global lactation community.

ELACTA will achieve this by pursuing the following goals:
• The specific needs of each national association are inventoried, in order to improve lactation care practices and provide high quality education of IBCLCs in Europe.
• By the end of 2018, ELACTA has an overview of how IBCLCs work in the different European countries.
• ELACTA advocates the position of the IBCLC in the parent-young child area, by collaborating with European authorities, reaching out to the European Union.
• Several policies and declarations are developed for the proposition of lactation care to the Public Health Services in the European countries.
• ELACTA shares knowledge, announces events, news and research activities with all the national IBCLC associations in Europe through personal meetings and the use of social media.
• Members are informed by a periodical which is digitally released 4 times a year.
• Every two years a Lactation Conference is organised in one of the European countries.
• ELACTA cooperates with global organisations in the promotion, protection and support of breastfeeding.
• ELACTA protects and encourages at least one research project in the field of lactation by the end of 2018.
• At the end of the mandate, the number of members is increased by 10%.
• In Europe, the average initiation rate of breastfeeding is 80% in 2018, and the breastfeeding rate at 6 months is 30%.
• ELACTA adheres to the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and subsequent applicable World Health Assembly resolutions, and supports the implementation of this Code in all European countries.