Health and Family Welfare Ministry has released operational guidelines for planning and implementation of Family Participatory Care (FPC) for improving newborn health. The guidelines will serve as a guiding document for those intending to introduce FPC in their facility as an integral part of facility based newborn care. <br/><br/>In an official release, the Ministry said, the document also provides details of infrastructure, training, role of health care providers and steps in the operationalization of family participatory care in the newborn care unit. The operational guidelines of FPC are for all stakeholders involved in the process of planning and delivering newborn care. <br/><br/>Under FPC, the staff at newborn care unit will provide continuous supervision and support. The Ministry said, sick and newborn are highly vulnerable and require careful nurturing in order to survive the neonatal period and first year of life.<br/><br/>The guidelines also addresses various aspects of attitudes, infrastructural modifications and practice that will help in establishing FPC at Special Newborn Care Units. Under National Health Mission, more than 700 state of the art Special Newborn Care Units have been established across the country to provide 24 X 7 comprehensive care to the newborns.