About FCCP
About FCCP: family-centered care in the NICU
When a baby is in the NICU, the family is part of the care team, whether anyone planned it or not. Family-Centered Care Partners (FCCP) helps NICUs, hospitals, and perinatal quality collaboratives plan for that on purpose. We're a collective of experienced NICU family partners: parents who have sat beside the isolette, then spent years helping care teams put family-centered care into practice and bring family voices into quality improvement. We work through hands-on partnerships, an expert bank, and a connected member network. Family voices. Better care.
Who we are
FCCP is two things at once. It's a hands-on team that works directly with NICUs, hospitals, and perinatal quality collaboratives to support family-centered care in the NICU. And it's a growing network of family partner experts. We're just getting started.
How we support family-centered care in the NICU
- Partner with organizations. We help teams put family-centered care into practice and bring family partners into quality improvement.
- Expert bank. Organizations can request a vetted, experienced family partner for a project, collaborative, or patient and family advisory council (PFAC).
- Member network. Experts meet, share resources, and help new parents grow into family-centered care partners.
Why it matters
National groups such as Vermont Oxford Network and the Institute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care have long treated families as active partners in NICU quality improvement (QI) (VON (opens in a new tab); IPFCC (opens in a new tab)). FCCP helps teams put that into daily practice and makes experienced family partners easier to find.
We keep the whole family in view, including PICS-F, the anxiety, depression, and grief families can experience after a loved one's critical illness (Medical Trauma Support (opens in a new tab)).
We don't give medical advice. We help families and care teams work better together.
How we work
- Warm: we've been the parent in the chair by the isolette. We speak with care, never pity.
- Direct: we say what we offer and what we ask for.
- Practical: we focus on what a NICU or QI team can actually do next.
- We cite sources for facts and respect what clinical teams know.