The Baby Friendly Initiative accredits maternity and community facilities that adopt internationally recognised standards of best practice in the care of mothers and babies. Accreditation takes place in stages, which are explained briefly below. For more information on the requirements for Baby Friendly accreditation, click on the Going Baby Friendly tab at the top of your screen.

Stages of accreditation
A Certificate of Commitment is the first step towards the full award and is assessed by post and via an action planning visit. Stage 1 assesses policies and procedures, Stage 2 the staff education programme and Stage 3 the care provided to pregnant women and new mothers. As facilities work through the stages, their progress will be recorded on the Baby Friendly Progress lists.

Hospitals, health centres and surgeries with full Baby Friendly accreditation have been externally assessed at each stage to prove that they have adopted all the best practice standards. Assessment is a rigorous procedure and ensures a high standard of care. Accredited facilites must undergo repeat assessments every few years to maintain the right to call themselves Baby Friendly. They can be expected to provide a high standard of care for mothers and babies, in line with the Ten Steps (hospitals) or the Seven Point Plan (community facilities).

Facilities with a Certificate of Commitment, or a pass at Stage 1 or 2, are in the process of becoming Baby Friendly and are working to improve the way they care for mothers and babies. These facilities may not yet provide the highest standard of care, as the necessary changes are still being made. Facilities that have registered their intention to work towards accreditation have not been assessed and we have no information about the standard of care they currently provide.

Choose from the menu on the right for more information about our awards.

You can find out if your health-care facility has a Baby Friendly award by looking through our list of accredited facilities. For community facilities, only those with an award are listed; for hospitals, all those with a maternity unit are listed, even if they have no accreditation status. You can also search for your nearest hospital and write a letter to the chief executive about care provided for mothers and babies.