Unicef offers support to gain UK Baby Friendly accreditation in your neonatal unit

An exciting opportunity has arisen for neonatal units following receipt of a grant to Unicef UK from the Burdett Trust. The grant is £110,000 over three years (£36,600 per year) and is intended to empower neonatal nurses with the knowledge and skills to promote breast- feeding/breast milk use, delivering a transformational cultural shift, bringing parents and nursing staff together to care for the baby.

Unicef is seeking six enthusiastic and committed neonatal units to collaborate to lead the way in improving outcomes for babies and their families.

The six successful units will each receive an implementation visit to introduce the standards and support the development of the action plan, staff places on selected, relevant courses, a comprehensive package of teaching materials for staff training, ongoing telephone support from a Baby Friendly assessor, help with audit and project management and generous support to cover assessment costs. In return, the units will be committed to making the changes necessary to implement the standards and so gain Unicef UK Baby Friendly accreditation.

Applications are welcome from interested and committed neonatal units,

with a view to selecting six to take part in the programme between 2016 and 2019. Applications are only open to UK units and the application deadline is 31 March 2016.

For more information, visit www.unicef.org.uk/babyfriendly/news- and-research/news/support-for-neonatal- units-to-achieve-baby-friendly- accreditation/

Unicef has also published the latest in its suite of resources and materials to help you bring your neonatal unit through to accreditation. Free to download, and with a foreword by

Consultant Neonatal Paediatrician Martin Ward Platt, Unicef UK Baby Friendly Initiative Guidance for Neonatal Units provides a 'road map' for the journey towards accreditation, as well as tips, ideas and case studies. It is intended to be read alongside Going Baby Friendly pages, and the Baby Friendly Initiative guide to the standards, both of which explain the assessment process in detail.

The document is available from www.unicef.org.uk/babyfriendly/