Contracted Position Description

Title:                             Birth Doula
Reports to:                  Nursery Parenting Educator
Status:                          Consultant – Contract position
Work Schedule:          Contracted hours outlined below

Position Summary

Hour Children (HC) is an organization founded to help incarcerated and formerly

incarcerated women and their children successfully rejoin the community, reunify with

their families, and build healthy, independent, and secure lives. Hour Children provides

compassionate and comprehensive services approaching the work in an anti-discriminatory, inclusive environment committed to HC’s standards of justice, diversity,

equity, and inclusion. Hour Children is contracted with the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) to assist with the operation of the Nursery and Infant Development Center at Bedford Hills.

The Birth Doula is a non-medical support person who provides physical and emotional support to a pregnant and laboring person in the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility Nursery program. A Birth Doula may also provide support to a partner or family member who is supporting the pregnant/laboring person. The Birth Doula will be assigned to one or more pregnant incarcerated individuals at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, in Bedford, NY. This position is not an employee of Hour Children or DOCCS. The consultant will work closely with and take direction from Hour Children’s Bedford Hills Director and other nursing staff.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Connecting with the pregnant incarcerated individual at least twice before birth, in person at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility
• Attending the labor and delivery at Westchester Medical Center (or Northern Westchester Hospital in less frequent situations)
• Connecting with the pregnant incarcerated individual at least twice in the postpartum period, in person at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility
• Responsible for initiating and connecting regularly with assigned pregnant incarcerated individuals via phone, email, or mail, as possible
• Comply with all prison procedures, processes, and requirements, including all security regulations and PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act) requirements
• Comply with Covid vaccine and testing requirements as determined by DOCCS
• Maintains professionalism and confidentiality
• Liaises with the broader Hour Children team regarding the status of support of incarcerated individual

Qualifications and Requirements:

• Certified as a Birth Doula in good standing with a certifying organization (e.g., DONA)
• Experience working with diverse populations on childbirths and pre-and post-natal care
• Be able to complete and become a DOCCS volunteer and any related training
• Ability to answer questions and provide nonjudgemental guidance
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills including the ability to remain calm, be nurturing, multitask, and provide emotional support