Cornwall’s ‘Baby Friendly’ Family Support Team Wins Prestigious UNICEF Gold Award

A Cornwall Council team dedicated to supporting families has been awarded the prestigious UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Gold Award. The accolade recognises the outstanding work of Best Start, Community Health and Wellbeing Cornwall, which aims to give children the best possible start in life.

A Decade of Excellence Recognised

The team, which includes health visitors, school nurses, and specialists, has maintained a UNICEF Baby Friendly accreditation for 12 years. However, the recent assessment praised the group’s sustained commitment to quality and innovation, securing the coveted Gold Award.

BFI assessors commended the team for its child-centred approach, highlighting that “the baby is at the heart of their ethos when ensuring quality of service.” The report also acknowledged the team’s collaborative work with acute and community services, describing their pride, enthusiasm, and commitment as “inspirational.”

Using Funding to Support Families

The team’s efforts to enhance Cornwall’s Family Hubs using Start for Life funding were a significant factor in their success. The report emphasised their focus on infant feeding and their work to strengthen relationships between families and their babies.

Among the achievements noted were:

• Expanding education around infant feeding to GP surgery colleagues.
• Hosting a breastfeeding conference.
• Supporting specialist training for the Infant Feeding team.
• Promoting the Breastfeeding Welcome scheme.
• Sharing knowledge within local education settings.

The assessors remarked: “The team at Best Start, Community Health and Wellbeing Cornwall continue to build and progress on good practice, changing hearts and minds.”

Pride in Supporting Families

Barbara Ellenbroek, cabinet member for children and families at Cornwall Council, expressed her delight at the recognition, stating:
“Securing a BFI Gold Award is a huge achievement, and I’m delighted that the hard work and dedication of the Best Start, Community Health and Wellbeing Cornwall team has been recognised.

“I am incredibly proud of the work they do in our communities to help families with things like infant feeding, breastfeeding and building loving and positive relationships with their babies. This plays a crucial role in one of the council’s key priorities to make sure Cornwall is a brilliant place to be a child and grow up.”

A Commitment to Children’s Rights

Kate Evan-Hughes, the council’s strategic director for Together for Families and a Baby Friendly Guardian, celebrated the team’s commitment, adding:
“It is a child’s right to have the best start in life, which is something our Best Start, Community Health and Wellbeing Cornwall team wholeheartedly embraces in everything they do.

“Their dedication, passion and commitment make me hugely proud, and I am delighted their hard work has been recognised with this award.”

For more information about the work of Best Start, Community Health and Wellbeing Cornwall, visit the council’s Start for Life web pages.