Family-centered care (FCC) encompasses the concept of parental involvement in the care of their infants (Franck and Callery 2004). It aims to place the needs of the infant in the context of the family (Saunders et al 2003). FCC is adopted in many neonatal units and is considered the gold standard of care aimed at supporting and guiding neonatal care towards a partnership between healthcare professionals and parents (Hutchfield 1999). Following the disruption of the infant-family bonding process when a baby is admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), it is suggested that the NICU provides an ideal opportunity for practice of FCC (Allerman Beck et al 2009) as nurses and parents. are required to develop an effective relationship in order to meet the care needs of infants (Reis et al 2009). However, a study by Higman and Shaw (2008) found that this appears more difficult to achieve in the neonatal unit, as FCC depends on the family's relationship with the child. In order to provide effective services, FCC neonatal nurses must understand parents' needs and know how to meet them. Mundy (2010), in a study investigating family needs assessment in neonatal intensive care units, found that assumptions about parents' needs were often made by health professionals, leading to conclusions unfounded and inappropriate. The importance of treating each family individually is paramount when evaluating how best to involve parents in the care of their infants (Higman and Shaw 2008). The literature review shows a lack of research on these assessments and highlights that improving family-centered care requires appropriate assessments of family needs and their integration into individualized care plans. A study of nurses' perceptions of FCC provision by Higman and Shaw (2010) supports this view. Throughout the study, it becomes clear that although nurses realize the importance of FCCs, these are not always consistent in their own practice. Peterson et al (2004) suggest that these inconsistencies could be due to the lack of adequate training and the stress that implementing FCC may place on nursing staff due to an already demanding workload, potentially creating negative attitudes with regard to the relevance and practical aspects of its service. The consensus opinion on FCC is positive, although limitations in its implementation are evident in the literature. It appears that staffing shortages are detrimental to FCC performance in the clinical area, creating time constraints with nurses having very few opportunities to establish good relationships with families (Higman and Shaw). 2008).