Professionals and those working with newborns who would like to train in the NBAS or NBO need to have experience handling newborn babies. If they do not have sufficient experience, it is important that they gain experience first by working alongside a midwife or health visitor and practice handling babies.

NBAS training has a long self-training phase on 20-25 babies (see below), so it is important that Managers understand that you will need time to practice the assessment and complete the scoring which can take about 2 hours per baby at the beginning.

NBO training requires that you practice on 5 babies and give the parents a short questionnaire. The session can last up to an hour or more.

Access to babies - Trainees need to arrange access to full-term babies from birth to 8 weeks old for the NBAS and from birth to 12 weeks old for the NBO. Trainees need personal indemnity insurance or an NHS honorary contract if necessary. If they are working in a hospital or the community with babies, access may be easy to arrange. Access to a postnatal ward is preferable, as there is a wider choice of babies in the appropriate sleep state. If they do not work with babies, it can be difficult to arrange access, but this is the trainee's responsibility to arrange.

NBAS TRAINING (for babies from birth to 8 weeks old)

Phase 1: Up to 20 people can be trained at once, either on National Training days or in your setting. You will receive the registration form for completion, and the NBAS manual and the training DVD to study before the training days. Please send the Registration form with your payment.

Phase 2: Two training days spent with Trainers who administer the NBAS and score the behaviours with you. Additional materials will be given to you.

Phase 3: Self-training phase: You will administer and score the NBAS on 20-25 babies in your own setting. It is possible to have an optional mid-training day at additional cost, and you can contact the Trainer for information and support at any time. It is recommended that you complete this phase within six months, although some people take longer. If you take longer than one year, you will be asked to pay an additional fee for the certification day.



Phase 4: Certification dates need to arranged with the Trainer well in advance. You will administer the NBAS for the Trainer on one or two babies, and then you both score the behaviours. Both administrative competence and scoring reliability of over 90% are required to receive certification. If you do not meet the reliability criteria, you will need to practice on more babies and attempt it again for an additional charge.

Phase 5: You will receive an NBAS certificate of reliability. It should be noted that the certificate does not authorise NBAS examiners to train other people. However, it is appropriate for a certified examiner to help colleagues prepare for their certification session.

If trainees are not able to achieve Certification within one year of the two day training course, there will be an additional charge of £225.00 per half day after that date.

Read participant comments about previous NBAS training sessions

NBO TRAINING (for babies from birth to 12 weeks old)

Phase 1: Up to 25 people can be trained at once, either at National Training days, or in your setting (at least 20 people). Fill in the Registration form and send with your payment.

Phase 2: You will need to buy the book in advance, and do the pre-course reading that is sent to you by email.

Phase 3: Two training days where you will see the Trainer administer the NBO, and you will record your observations together.

Phase 4: Self-practice phase with 5 babies and parents. Please fill in the recording form and the parent questionnaire, and send it to the Trainer for evaluation. If amendments are needed, the Trainer will return the forms with suggestions for completion. During this phase, you can contact the Trainer at any time for information and support.

Phase 5: You will receive an NBO certificate of completion. It should be noted that this does not authorise you to teach the NBO to others, but you can provide support to others who are completing the NBO.

NBO book you need to order in advance:

Understanding Newborn Behavior and Early Relationships (2007) The Newborn Behavioral Observations (NBO) System Handbook Author(s): J. Kevin Nugent, Constance H. Keefer, Susan Minear, Lise Johnson, Yvette Blanchard ISBN: 9781557668837 Publisher: Brookes Publishing Company

Order from: www.amazon.co.uk or www.eurospanbookstore.com

For people already certified in NBAS or in the process of NBAS training, who wish to undertake the NBO training, the fee will be reduced to £150.00 plus the purchase of the NBO manual.


TRAINING FEES from 1 January 2011:

Introductory workshop and Training (2 days) plus final Certification day (1 day): £650 per person, (including additional costs for lunch and refreshments, though often this is at your own expense). The usual training group size for advertised training days is 20 and requires two Trainers.

Optional mid-way refresher day during training: £350-00 per day (plus Trainer’s accommodation, subsistence and travel costs)

Recertification every 3 years: £350-00 for one day (certifying 2 people each day) (plus Trainer’s accommodation, subsistence and travel costs).

NBO training £350.00 with the additional cost of the NBO book to be ordered by the trainee in advance; and with the additional cost of lunch etc. This fee is non-refundable and required to register. If you are organising a training in your setting (for 20-25 people), you will be responsible for the trainer's travel, accommodation and meal expenses.


Read participant comments about previous NBO training sessions

• Cardiff May, 2010
• "The practical session was very useful. I can’t wait to use it in my practice!"
• "NBO provides a way to generate a two-way discussion about issues experienced by parents – therefore conducive to professional-client relationship"
• "It was an excellent training package – really well presented and very useful to my practice"
• Manchester November, 2010
• "Very informative and will complement my practice"
• "Very valuable, well taught and discussed"
• "The real baby observation was a great learning experience, very valuable. Brought the teaching together. I now see the baby as central to all contact with mother. I feel I have learned a lot"
• Middlesborough January, 2011
• "Excellent presentation – enjoyable and informative course"
• Cambridge, 2009
• "I found it really well presented with good relevance"
• "I really enjoyed the DVD material, the films, great demonstrations, and of course the LIVE SESSION!"
• "The atmosphere was nice in the training and inspirational"