Dr Leah Hickey is the COCOON Medical Lead and Arnie Krishnan and Julia McKeown are the COCOON Care Coordinators (CCC); positions that have been generously funded by The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation through donations.

They are both passionate about nurturing the bond between babies and their families, even in the most challenging circumstances in Butterfly Ward.

The COCOON Care Coordinators (CCC) work closely with staff and families to provide bedside mentorship and supports families in the care of their babies. The CCC will teach you how to engage with your baby as well as practical skills that will help you look after your baby on Butterfly.

COCOON Heroes

All staff who work on Butterfly Ward are committed to supporting and teaching parents to care for their babies. There is a core group of staff who form the COCOON Clinical Practice Improvement Group, called COCOON Heroes. These staff members contribute extra time and effort to developing and delivering COCOON educational resources for families and other staff to use. The group includes nurses, doctors, infant mental health specialists, social workers, and other allied health team members. 

COCOON Consumer Advisory Group

The COCOON Team have worked with many parents over the past 5 years to develop the resources we currently offer to Butterfly families and staff. However, it is our goal to have a COCOON Consumer Advisory Group to provide a greater voice to families about how care is provided. In 2024, we plan to implement in this group which will inform policies and practices that are focused on optimising care for all infants across RCH.