Celebrating Newham’s UNICEF Baby Friendly Stage 3 Accreditation

On Wednesday 30 September, colleagues and partners came together at East Ham Library to celebrate a significant achievement for Newham’s Children’s Health, Best Start Family Hubs and Children’s Centres services: UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) Stage 3 Accreditation.

The event marked the formal presentation of our accreditation plaque by UNICEF representatives, recognising the outstanding work taking place to support infant feeding. The plaque was proudly received by Laura Eden (Director of Children’s Services) and Cllr Shantu Ferdous (Deputy Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Communities), who are both Baby Friendly Initiative Guardians.

Achieving and maintaining Baby Friendly accreditation reflects a long-term commitment to supporting parents and families to give their babies the best possible start in life. It is the result of the dedication, professionalism and compassion shown every day by staff working across services, as well as the strong partnerships that help embed Baby Friendly standards throughout the Borough.

The celebration provided an opportunity to reflect on the positive impact of this work, recognise the excellent practice highlighted during the assessment process and celebrate the outcomes being achieved for children and families across Newham. In addition to representation from the recipient services, we were grateful to be joined by Newham babies, parents and grandparents who have benefitted from the infant feeding support available.

As we celebrate this milestone, we are already looking ahead. Together, we will continue strengthening and sustaining Baby Friendly practice across our services as we work towards our next ambition: achieving UNICEF Baby Friendly Gold Accreditation.

The accreditation reflects a standard of care across our services, ensuring that parents and families get the best support during their infant feeding journey.