How parental involvement can be promoted in the care of preemies in different environments - global view. Care of the tiny baby [Workshop Session]

At the todays CEPAS 2026 conference, a GFCNI session highlighted a critical shift in neonatal intensive care: treating parents as primary caregivers and partners, rather than just visitors. While the fundamental needs of parents—24/7 access, consistent medical teams, and transparent communication—are universally recognized, implementation varies drastically across the globe.

Global Challenges in the NICU

The session provided a sobering look at the unique hurdles families face depending on where they live:

• Australia & Canada: Families face staggering travel distances, leading to massive financial losses and a lack of hospital accommodation. Both countries also grapple with historical trauma and distrust among Indigenous populations, highlighting a desperate need for culturally safe care, plain-language resources, and dedicated Indigenous navigators.

• Brazil: Geographical barriers are extreme, with some families relying on river boats in the Amazon. Migrant and Indigenous communities face severe language and cultural gaps, making regionalized care, coordinated transport, and multilingual community workers essential.

• UK & Europe: While some units (like Chelsea and Westminster) are pioneering parent-centric redesigns, family involvement remains inconsistent. Systemic racial differences in care is still an issue, with Black women and infants facing double the mortality rates in England.

• Ukraine: The ongoing war has pushed NICU care into bomb shelters. Mothers endure unimaginable stress with partners on the frontlines, staff are exhausted, and evacuation protocols often separate babies from their parents, heightening the risk of long-term neurodevelopmental issues.

Advocates laid out concrete recommendations to dismantle these barriers. Hospitals must design new units specifically around family involvement, providing dedicated space, privacy, and robust mental health and breastfeeding support. Crucially, financial burdens need to be eased through free parking, subsidized meals, and discounted lodging. On a systemic level, staff require rigorous training in anti-racism and cultural competency, aided by interpreters and AI translation tools to bridge communication gaps.

To cement these practices globally, a massive Lancet Child & Adolescent Health series is currently underway. Involving 41 members across 20 countries, the initiative aims to make family-centred care universally understood, prioritized, and sustainable.

The overall recommendation is generally applicable:

The basics are everywhere (Almalki, J Neonatal Nursing) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42833696/

•⁠ ⁠Recognise the mental health, financial, social and administrative burden on parents.

•⁠ ⁠Give parents 24/7 access and treat them as main caregivers and partners.

•⁠ ⁠Make time to talk, and give clear information that is consistent across the whole team.

•⁠ ⁠Keep staff consistent for the smallest and sickest babies.

•⁠ ⁠Provide a comfortable unit and accommodation for families.

Based on these global snapshots, what are the specific strengths and limitations of family-centred NICU care in your country, and what actionable steps or policies do you think could improve it?

Disclosure: This is an AI-assisted summary of the session, generated from a recording made by our team in attendance. We believe it is as accurate as our own notes would be, but please refer to the speakers’ original work before applying anything in clinical practice.