Changes to the university standards

This page offers support for universities to navigate changes to the standards, including details and resources to help with implementation.

The UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative standards for universities were developed in 2005. Since then, the standards for all services have continued to evolve in response to updates to the evidence base and feedback from those implementing Baby Friendly.

The UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative is currently reviewing its maternity, neonatal and university standards. This work builds on our recent review of the community standards and complements the wider programme of work underway to refresh and strengthen the evidence underpinning the standards, including learning from the ATTUNE study.

This page aims to support universities in navigating the timeline for any changes to the standards and provides details and resources to help with implementation.

Following consultation with those implementing Baby Friendly in universities, and building on the successful introduction in services, the University Foundation Standards were developed. In addition, a Culture standard, as part of the Achieving Sustainability standards, has been introduced to better align with practice for those universities working towards or currently at Gold status.

Important: Whilst the university standards are currently under review, the Guide to the Standards document also remains under review and should therefore be read in conjunction with the foundation standards guidance and any supporting documentation. At present, student audit tools remain unchanged.

Please contact the office if you wish to discuss any impact on your service’s assessment pathway: [email protected]