Health care providers may feel threatened until they understand that the support group complements the service offered by the formal health sector. Meeting with local health care providers can help create a spirit of trust, cooperation, and team work. Those involved in support groups should receive breastfeeding training as well as training in counseling skills and the dynamics of support groups. Training for the facilitator may take the form of an official, recognized training course or an apprenticeship. Training programs vary from 20 to 80 hours.
Lessons spread over time allow for better assimilation of material as do participatory activities.
Some form of accountability or simple record keeping by the facilitator is usually necessary, depending upon the funder or organizational regulations. This may include simple statistics such as when and where meetings were held or mothers were contacted, how many mothers were helped, and common breastfeeding difficulties encountered. Those who are directly working with the mothers at the community level need a support person to whom they have easy access and who can provide quick feedback. This can be an experienced person from within the support group structure. Some of the challenges to sustainability are the shortage and turn-over of volunteers as well as financial constraints.