FAQ's

We understand that you may be busy, and that it can be hard to commit to set dates in the future. As a result, you may wish to hedge your bets and book multiple dates for the same course.

We kindly request that you book no more than two of each course at any one time (this ensures that there is enough availability for everyone who wishes to attend) and you cancel any bookings that you are not planning to attend.

No-shows not only waste opportunities for others who could have attended in their place, they can also be disruptive to the teaching session, as our facilitators wait for the expected number of attendees. For this reason, we reserve the right to withdraw free education services from people that repeatedly do not attend their booked classes.

To access the Teams link to your virtual class you will need to log in to the Maternity Parent Portal.

• Log in to the portal and visit your profile page. Scroll down to the course/workshop name in your "Up Coming Course" or "Previous Courses" list. Click on the the “Go to Course” link on the right of the course name.

• Alternatively, you can access the link via the specific courses listing. To access the course listing either,

1. Click on the class link in your confirmation email or,
2. Click on the name of the course in your Upcoming/Previous Bookings found at the bottom of your profile page or, 
3. Find the course in the “Free classes and events “or “Paid for Courses” booking page.

Scroll to towards the bottom of the listings page to the “Course details”. From here you will see the “click to join” link. 

We recommed that you ensure that you have access to Teams in advance of attending any of our virtual courses. You may test the course link but please note that you will not be able to access the virtual room ahead of the workshop/session.

When you click on the workshop/course link in your profile you will be taken to a "Teams" screen where you will need to confirm that you would like to join the meeting by clicking on the Join now button.

Once you have consented to join you will see the message:

When the meeting starts, we'll let people know you're waiting.

You will be held in this "waiting room" until the faciliatator opens the virtual room. We open our virtual class rooms no more that five minutes before the class start time, but usually at the planned start time. 

Sometimes Teams doesn't notify us of everyone who is waiting to be admitted. If you are still being held in the waiting area more than five minutes past the planned start time this is likely to be the case. In this instance, please quit the room and rejoin with the same link. 

If that is not sucessful please access your course via an alternative link such as the one found in your event reminder/course welcome email or via the link next to the course name in your "Upcoming Courses" found on your profile page.

If the problem persists please email the team at rsch.birthandbeyond@nhs.net but please note that the facilitator may not be able to assist until after they have completed the teaching session.

To access the class resources, you will need to log in to the Maternity Parent Portal.

First access the Course Listing by either,

1. Clicking on the class link in your confirmation email or,
2. Clicking on the name of the course in your Upcoming/Previous Bookings found on your profile page or,
3. Finding the course in the “Free classes and events“ or “Paid for Courses” tab.

Scroll to the Bottom of the page, past “Course Details”, until your reach “Documents”.

If you click on an individual document, it will open in a new window. You will then have the option of reading it online or downloading the resource. Click on your back arrow to return to the list.

If you click on a "File", it will take you to a new version of the listings page. Once again scroll to the bottom of the page where you will be able to access the individual documents as above. Click on the provided back button to return to the original list of documents.

Thank you for cancelling your booking to make the space available to others.

Free Courses & Events

If you are cancelling with notice, you can do so by visiting the class listing and clicking on the cancel button beside the date you have selected. 

Access the Course Listing by either.

1. Clicking on the class link in your confirmation email or,
2. Clicking on the name of the course in your Upcoming/Previous Bookings found at the bottom of your profile page or,
3. Finding the course in the “Free classes and events “or “Paid for Courses” booking page.

If there is not enough notice you will be directed to contact the Birth & Beyond Team at rsch.birthandbeyond@nhs.net

Paid Courses.

Full Course

As per our class terms & conditions you can cancel paid courses up to 30 days prior to the start of your class/workshop and receive a full refund.

We are unable to provide refunds for courses (whole or partial) where there is less than 30 days to the start of the course unless there are exceptional circumstances.

 Please take note of the recommended gestation for the courses. attendees are welcome at any gestation, but we recommend that you book your classes in good time. Going in to labour at term (37 weeks+) will not be considered exceptional and no refunds will be issued.

To cancel a paid course please email the team at rsch.birthandbeyond@nhs.net

Single session of a package

If you are unable to attend a single session of a larger package, for example due to illness, please contact your facilitator. We are unable to give partial refunds, however we may be able to offer an alternative catch up session or advise on resources to support you to receive the missed information.

When you successfully book on to one of our courses or workshops you will receive a booking confirmation and the course will instantly appear in your profile. If the course is not present in your profile, please email the education team at rsch.birthandbeyond@nhs.net

Select your chosen course/workshop and press the "Book" Button.

A Stripe payment window will open displaying the original cost of the course. Beneath this you will find a button labelled Discount Code.

Click the discount button.

Type your code in to the provided box and press the "Submit" button.

The price will now change to reflect the discount.

Pay any remaining balance by filling in your card details and pressing the submit button again.

For classes booked as part of a package the value will change to £0.00 and a new book button will appear

Yes, unless explicitly stated in the listing (e.g. pregnancy relaxation and postnatal baby classes) all our bookings are for one pregnant woman/person and one allocated birth partner.

Yes, we welcome partners to make their own profiles and access the Portal Library Resources.

Yes, many partners attend our courses on different devices, for example when working away from home.

Free classes

The easiest way to facilitate this is for your partner to create their own profile and book the course separately (either the same date or an alternative) thus providing them with access to the link and any associated resources.

Paid classes

Sessions must be attended on the same date. Please email the Birth & Beyond team to notify them and to organise access to the team’s link.

Unless explicitly stated in the course/workshop listing (e.g. pregnancy relaxation and postnatal baby classes) all our bookings are for one pregnant woman/person and one allocated birth partner. If you wish a second birth partner to attend a paid workshop or course with you please contact the Birth and Beyond Team (rsch.birthandbeyond@nhs.net) who can check class capacity and, where available, arrange an additonal paid space for your second birth partner.

You can learn more about how to make the most of the Maternity Parent Portal works by watching the “How to use your portal” tour video found at the bottom of your home page