Baby Charter Charging FAQ
Digital Tool FAQs
Technical issue: Problems accessing the tool
Baby Charter Programme FAQ
What standards are mandatory?
Our mandatory standards are 1.1B (unlimited parental access to their baby), and 2.3 (psychosocial support). These standards must be rated green to achieve Baby Charter Accreditation.
What about if we have achieved Unicef’s Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI)?
If you have BFI accreditation, you will probably find it very easy to fill in and complete Principle 6 (Feeding) as you will have done a lot of work to improve your feeding practices already. However, the Baby Charter and the BFI are two separate programmes and we still need you to evidence you have appropriate feeding measures in place to meet the standards required for Baby Charter Accreditation.
I’m confused about psychosocial support, what do we need to provide the right support?
Psychosocial support (Standard 2.3) is one of the standards units have the most difficulty implementing to a green standard. We’ve recently introduced changes to Standards 2.3A, B and C and developed clearer criteria to support units to evidence how they meet these. Please see the evidence criteria document for more information.
There is a downloadable version of this at the bottom of this page. If you have paid for a Baby Charter Package, please do get in touch to discuss any issues you are having with your unit’s psychosocial support in more detail.
When will our unit become accredited?
When your unit has a RAG rating of 90% green or more across each of the seven principles, an assessment visit will be arranged.
You will be visited by Bliss representatives, healthcare professional assessors and a parent assessor. The assessment team will complete a tour of the unit, review relevant documentation and interview staff and parents.
Following the assessment visit there will be a panel meeting to decide if your unit are ready for accreditation.
We are only a small Level 1 unit, are we expected to provide the same level of care and facilities as a large Level 3 unit to become Baby Charter accredited?
The Baby Charter standards and guidance are the same for every unit no matter their size or level as they are based upon national standards for care that should be taking place in every unit for every baby. However, we recognise that every unit is different and working within their own unique environment, and therefore will have different requirements and priorities for the care they provide.
This is something the Bliss team takes into consideration when reviewing audits and providing feedback, and we recognise that appropriately fulfilling a Baby Charter standard may vary considerably between units.
How does this fit with a family integrated model of care?
The Bliss Baby Charter helps to build a solid foundation for Family Integrated Care by encouraging healthcare professionals to empower parents to be primary caregivers through joint decision-making and hands on care, as well as understanding families’ needs and availability in order to provide truly individualised care.
It recommends a range of practices including, but not limited to:
- Ensuring unrestricted parental access and involvement in daily cares.
- Providing psychosocial support for parents and siblings.
- Developing unit facilities to keep parents and their baby together.
- Actively engaging parents in all of the decision-making processes for their baby.
The Baby Charter also recommends units to listen to diverse parent voices and feedback, using this to make improvements. Partnerships between parents and healthcare professionals are the core of Family Integrated Care, and these can only be achieved by effective listening and communication with families.
Audits help identify the inequalities and the potential barriers that the local neonatal population face, address them and introduce practical and meaningful changes to benefit families, thus improving equity on the neonatal unit and post-discharge.
How long does it take?
There is no set time period for completing the Bliss Baby Charter. Every unit is different and will implement their changes at a different rate.
How long do we stay accredited for?
The Bliss Baby Charter Accreditation is a huge achievement, recognising that there are sufficient procedures, practices, and facilities in place to empower parents and carers to be partners in care through joint decision-making and hands on care, as well as understanding families’ needs and availability in order to provide truly individualised care. However, accreditation is only valid for three years, after which point you will need to be re-accredited to ensure the work taking place on your unit is still meeting the high standards of the Baby Charter. If your unit has continued to deliver excellent practice and is re-accredited, you will receive your Platinum Accreditation!
The re-accreditation process is almost exactly the same as your initial accreditation process. The Baby Charter Team will get in touch approximately 6 months prior to your accreditation expiration to discuss whether you will be seeking Platinum Accreditation. If your unit decides to continue on to this stage, we will ask you to review and return your Baby Charter Audit to us again with any updates, changes, or improvements that have taken place on your unit over the previous 2.5 years.
The Team may have a few questions for you or ask for some more information before preparing for your unit assessment. This will be the same as your previous assessment, with Bliss staff and 6 volunteer assessors attending your unit for the day to view your facilities and to discuss your standards of practice. Should this assessment be successful, you will receive your Platinum Accreditation and be re-accredited as a Bliss Baby Charter Unit for a further three years.
How much does it cost?
You can find a full break down of the costs for the Baby Charter Programme on our page on How to Join the Baby Charter.
We have set our costs at the lowest level possible and our fee structure means you pay stage by stage, not all at once. Access to the Baby Charter framework and self-assessment is free of charge for all units. The fee simply covers the extra time and tailored support from Bliss in marking audits, providing feedback and support with improving practice, as well as assessments and accreditation.
How are the fees calculated?
We have created a fee structure which corresponds with each step in the Baby Charter process and means you pay step by step, not all at once. And to keep the fee as low as possible, Bliss will still be covering some of the costs.
The fee applies when units require direct involvement from Bliss to review their self-assessment audit, arrange an in-person assessment and to become fully accredited or re-accredited.
All units will be asked to pay the same fee as the work involved to review the audit against the standards and provide tailored support is the same regardless of the size of unit. Units will not have to pay for any support, assessment or accreditation that they have already received as the fee will only be introduced when they are ready to move on to the next step in the process.
For a full breakdown of the fees please visit our page on How to Join the Baby Charter.
What if we can’t afford to pay for accreditation?
All units will be able to access the Baby Charter self-assessment tool free of charge. This is a great way to check how well your unit is implementing family-centred care and a good first step towards making improvements.
For those who wish to progress, we’ve kept our fee as low as possible and have created a structure whereby you pay step by step as you work through the Baby Charter, not all at once. Therefore, if a unit is part way through the Baby Charter audit, we will acknowledge the stage in the process already achieved, and the charge will begin from the stage of the process the unit is currently working towards. We hope this means the Baby Charter will be accessible to all units, but if you’re concerned please speak to us about what options may be available for your unit.
Why should we complete the Baby Charter when we’re focusing on FICare?
The Baby Charter provides a robust practical framework for assessing the care provided on neonatal units. By taking part in the Baby Charter, healthcare professionals are required to examine the procedures, practices and environment of the unit. The Baby Charter encourages healthcare professionals to empower parents to be primary caregivers through joint decision-making and hands on care, as well as understanding families’ needs and availability in order to provide truly individualised care. This facilitates a solid foundation for Family Integrated Care.
When will I be told what stage I am at and what payment would be expected?
When you log onto the digital tool you will be able to see which stage of the process you are at. If you would like to pay to achieve the next stage, please do get in contact with us to discuss your journey. Don’t worry, you will never be charged without first having a conversation with us and agreeing to the payment.
What if our first assessment visit isn't successful?
In the event that your first assessment visit isn’t successful, we’ll highlight areas for improvement and work with you to implement these. Once improvements have been made, we can discuss and plan for another assessment visit.
How do I access the digital Baby Charter?
You can access the digital tool here.
Why can’t I submit my audit?
There are a number of reasons why you won't have the option submit your audit. This could be that you have not paid for any of the stages after self-audit, you haven't' completed all sections of the audit (there must be some evidence for each section, even if it's just to say you aren't currently meeting the standard), or you have outstanding actions to complete from previous feedback.
Can we get more than one login for our audit?
At the moment each unit has only one login, this will be the email you provided us with and the password you created. However, you can share those details with others in your team so multiple people can access and work on the tool. We recommend avoiding having multiple people logged into the tool at the same time though as this could confuse the system or overwrite some of your changes.
Why is my audit not saving?
Please ensure that you click either the ‘save and continue’ or ‘save and go back’ buttons that are at the bottom of each page of standards. The Digital Baby Charter will not save your work automatically.
The Bliss Baby Charter tool is designed to best work within Google Chrome web browser. It is compatible with Microsoft Edge, Safari and Firefox however for a better experience please use Google Chrome.
If you have any problems such as accessing or saving your audit. We recommend following the steps before contacting us.
- Use the latest version of Google Chrome
- Run incognito mode
- Try using another computer
Use the latest version of Google Chrome.
We recommend all users to use the latest version of Google Chrome when accessing the tool. Please make sure you have the latest version installed.
If you’re unable to install the browser please contact your IT department for their assistance. Alternatively, you can visit the Google Chrome installation page.
Run incognito mode
There may be a plugin or a problem with your web browser. We would recommend you try accessing the tool via an incognito window.
- On your computer, open Chrome.
- At the top right, click on the three dots and select New Incognito Window.
- A new window appears. In the top corner, check for the Incognito icon.
Try using another computer
In order to identify if the problem is related to your computer. We would recommend if possible trying another computer to access the Bliss Baby Charter tool.
For further support regarding the Bliss Baby Charter audit tool please contact us
