Introduction
The Baby Friendly Initiative is a global campaign run by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), which recognises that implementing best practice in health services is crucial to the success of programmes to promote breastfeeding.

Best practice is represented by the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, which were first published in a joint WHO/UNICEF statement in 1989 - Protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding: the special role of maternity services.

In the UK the Baby Friendly Initiative provides information, support and assessment for health care facilities working to implement the best practice standards in support of breastfeeding. In the maternity setting, this assessment is carried out according to globally established criteria using a procedure which has been adapted to reflect the unique nature of the UK health service. Facilities which fully meet all criteria may be accredited as Baby Friendly.

The Seven Point Plan for the Protection, Promotion and Support of Breastfeeding in Community Health Care Settings, extends the principles of the Ten Steps to community facilities. Here assessment is carried out using criteria adapted to the various types of community health care facility and those which fully implement all seven points may receive Baby Friendly accreditation. This award represents a quality standard of equal importance to the Baby Friendly Hospital award.

At present within the UK there are 43 fully accredited Baby Friendly health care facilities and 72 maternity units or community services with a Certificate of Commitment.

The Certificate of Commitment recognises that a Trust is working to bring its practices into line with the Ten Steps or the Seven Point Plan and that it is working towards assessment and full accreditation. It also represents the Trust's commitment to make improvements to the services it provides to mothers and babies.

Baby Friendly Health Care Facilities in Northern Ireland

Baby Friendly Hospitals

• The Ulster Hospital, Belfast
  Contact: Patricia Weir or Diane Lockhart, Breastfeeding Coordinators
  Tel: 028 9048 4511
   
• Altnagelvin Hospitals Health and Social Services Trust, Londonderry
  Contact: Audrey Finlay or Deirdre Gill, Senior Lactation Midwives
  Tel: 028 7134 5171
   
• Antrim Hospital, United Hospitals Trust
  Contact: Gillian Anderson, Senior Lactation Midwife
  Tel: 028 9442 4000

Baby Friendly Community Health Care Facilities

• Foyle Health and Social Services Trust, Londonderry
  Contact: Marie Hutton, Health Visitor Manager
  Tel: 028 7137 8522

• Homefirst Community and Social Services Trust, Ballymena
  Contact: Angela McKeown, Breastfeeding Coordinator
  Tel: 028 2531 3152