COCOON is the name of the model of care in the Butterfly Ward at The Royal Children's Hospital (RCH).

"Model of care" means the approach to how care is provided in healthcare settings. COCOON stands for "Circle Of Care Optimising Outcomes for Newborns". 

You are the most important person in your baby’s life.

We have designed COCOON, with families and for families, to help you engage in your baby’s care as much as possible while your baby is staying with us in Butterfly Ward. Our team will partner with you to make the right decisions for you and your family. We will mentor, support and teach you so that you know all that you need to know about how to care for your baby before you take them home.

The COCOON mission is to place the baby and family at the centre of every thing we do, every day.

In this COCOON Education Package, you will find lots of information to help you get to know your baby and to learn how to care for them and yourself. Our staff, including our dedicated COCOON team, will work through this information with you and you will be offered group education and support sessions too. You are also encouraged to read the information in your own time and to ask us any questions that you may have.

*this refers to all parents and legal guardians

The main aims of COCOON

• To improve health outcomes for newborn babies, and
• To improve the experience of families whose babies are cared for on Butterfly

Why did we bother creating COCOON?

Babies are born ready to connect, engage and learn. Time in hospital can have a negative effect on the young brain but these effects can be reduced by if babies have the opportunities to bond with their parents as best they can even if they are not at home with the family. 
Lots of studies have shown that NICU babies and their families do better overall when parents are supported to get to know their babies and are taught how to care for them as soon as possible. This type of care is called Family-centred Care (FCC) and COCOON is based on the principles of FCC. If you would to know more about FCC, click here.

Key principles of COCOON

• The concept of seeing the baby as a person with the ability to communicate, initiate and respond to their environment and caregivers, should underpin every thing we do, every day.
• Outcomes for babies, families and staff should be optimised by delivering world-class patient-centred, family-integrated, baby-led care.
• Communication between staff, parents and babies should be prioritised to ensure appropriate knowledge and skills are shared.