What is meant by the Neuroprotective Developmental Care (NDC) or the Possums programs intellectual property?

The NDC Institute operates as a social enterprise.

The intellectual property of NDC or the Possums programs comprises

• Approximately two hundred discrete terms or concepts which are unique to NDC or the Possums programs, and which were not in use in the care of mothers and babies, or were used with a different meaning, until developed and applied by Dr Pamela Douglas as part of the NDC or Possums programs. Used in combination, these many terms or concepts comprise the various NDC or Possums programs;

• Trademarked names (Neuroprotective Developmental Care, The NDC Institute, The Possums Clinic and the Possums programs, and Breastfeeding Stripped Bare);

• Extensive amounts of copyrighted materials, videos, flashcards and text, located both in The NDC Institute and in the Possums parent programs.

Do you agree to abide by The NDC Institute's Code of Ethics?

The NDC or Possums Code of Ethics is located in the header of this website. In this article, you are reading and agreeing to a summary of the important points in the Code of Ethics. By registering for this course, you are agreeing to abide by the Code of Ethics.

YOU WILL BE ASKED TO ANSWER THIS FOLLOWING QUESTION ONCE YOU'VE REGISTERED FOR THE COURSE. IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO ANSWER 'YES' IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO CONTINUE WITH THE COURSES.

How to use NDC if you've completed NDC for Providers + Educators

Once you've completed NDC for Providers + Educators, I hope that you will take NDC and make it your own as you work with families and their babies or toddlers. NDC principles can begin to be a part of your clinical or education knowledge and skill set, regardless of how little or how deeply you go into the NDC materials. You are not obliged to tell anyone that you’ve participated in some NDC education! But you would also have the right to put this as a completed course in your bio.

Here is an example of how to ethically communicate to the public (for example, in an online or hardcopy bio) that you've completed the NDC for Providers + Educators course.

Jane Smith has completed the Neuroprotective Developmental Care or Possums course NDC for Providers + Educators (year of completion).

However, NDC for Providers + Educators doesn't provide you with formal NDC qualifications (other than completion of a course). Unfortunately, completing doesn't confer the right to promote your services as providing NDC or Possums services.

We thank you so much for your understanding and support, as NDC or Possums services can only be provided by registered health professionals who are NDC Accredited, which takes much longer than NDC P+ E to complete, and requires successful completion of an exam.

We know that you, too, are providing important and valued services to clients and patients. We are very grateful for your understanding and support, as we are a small team with limited resources, and have had to make decisions about where we can focus our resources as we develop NDC.

If you are a provider or educator participating in NDC for Providers + Educators, we have included the training course for Sleep Baby & You. Once you've completed this, you will be able to state that

1. You have completed the NDC/Possums Provider + Educator Course

2. You are a qualified Sleep Baby & You practitioner.

Why does respecting the NDC or Possums intellectual property matter?

Like you, I do my best to live my professional life according to my values. For me, these are not just the values by which I conduct my clinical services, but also the values by which I aim to bring the NDC or Possums programs into the world through representing myself and the NDC or Possums programs ethically in marketing and promotions of The NDC Institute. This commitment includes

• Respecting other peoples' work including by acknowledging their work when it has influenced my own, and (if relevant) supporting their survival as a business or organisation

• Declining to participate in or profit off popular trends which might otherwise drive sales, but which are not in the best interests of mothers and babies, or parents and babies.

If the NDC or Possums programs are to continue to transform the lives of families with babies, The NDC Institute needs to

• Survive and thrive

• Guard the quality and integrity of the programs

• Maintain control over who is licensed to deliver them, in order to maintain quality and integrity of the programs.

We believe that the NDC project will survive and thrive because of the ethical behaviours of those who care about NDC or the Possums programs. We celebrate those many human beings who are committed to ethical actions, and who do this because they are committed to living by their values - even when no-one is looking.

Please email tom@pameledouglas.com.au if you notice someone using the Possums or NDC name inappropriately, or please have a quiet chat with them yourself. They may not be aware of the information contained in this article.