What will the Review process look like?
The review will be steered by Giulia Bonacalza, Bliss Baby Charter Review Lead, and managed in collaboration with the Bliss Baby Charter team, healthcare professionals from across the MDT and parents/carers.
Specifically, we are aiming to recruit for an Oversight Group of around 5 parents/carers and around 6 Healthcare Professionals (HCPs). This group will be supported in the review by thematic experts who will review specific sections of the Baby Charter, according to their area of expertise.
The aim of the Oversight Group is to guide the review process. The group will assess feedback and suggestions made by the Bliss team and thematic experts, provide input themselves, and support making decisions on the updated content of the Baby Charter.
The thematic experts will support with the review of the following areas (to be fully confirmed):
- Developmental Care
- Palliative Care and Bereavement
- AHP Provision
- Feeding
- Discharge
- Outreach
The psychosocial standards of the Bliss Baby Charter (2.3A, 2.3B and 2.3C) were last reviewed in 2024, therefore they won’t be part of this review.
How long will the review take?
The content review runs from July 2025 to July 2026.
How can I be involved in the Oversight Group?
We will be recruiting for 5 parents and 5-6 neonatal professionals to be part of the Oversight Group.
The Oversight Group is expected to meet 6-8 times over the course of the year. Each session will be held online and these are expected to last no more than 2 hours.
The dates haven't been set yet, but we expect to hold meetings every 6 weeks starting from September 2025. We will try our best to co-ordinate times and dates that all members can make. Some of these sessions may take place in the evenings or weekends to accommodate working parents' availability.
To ensure that the group is able to successfully review the Baby Charter together, it will be important that you are able to commit to attending most sessions (6 at least) and be an active member of the group. In addition, members of the oversight group will be required to do some work outside of meetings. We estimate this will mean each participant spending around 30-40 hours over the 12 months of the review (around 2.5-3.5 hours per month).
Who we are looking for
We will be recruiting 5 parents/carers and since one of the main goals of the review is to embed health inequality as a quality measure for neonatal units, we are looking to include parents/carers from many different backgrounds.
We are particularly keen to work with parents/carers from ethnic minority backgrounds, fathers, non-birthing parents, LGBTQ+ parents, young parents, disabled parents, and parents who experienced financial challenges while they were on the unit. We recognise that parents/carers from these groups often experience neonatal care differently and we want to ensure that these voices are heard. In section 2 of the application form we ask some optional demographic questions.
To take part into the Oversight Group, you must be 18 and over, your neonatal experience should have happened within the last 6 years and your baby/babies must have been discharged over 12 months ago – we want to ensure some time has passed from your neonatal stay and you feel ready to take part into the review process.
Are there funds available to help me participate?
As a thank you for your contribution and time, we will offer every parent/carer a £50 voucher each time they attend an online session.
How do I express an interest in this project and what happens next?
If this project sounds like something you are keen to participate in, please complete the application form below. We will be in touch with shortlisted parents/carers for an informal conversation before selecting the five members who will form part of the Oversight Group.
The deadline to apply is the 3rd of August 2025.