Introduction

Why does protecting the NDC or Possums intellectual property matter if we're all simply wanting to provide the best possible evidence-based care for parents with babies?

There is an important difference between integrating knowledge and clinical approaches into your clinical practice, which The NDC Institute hopes you'll do regardless, and commercialising or promoting of NDC or the Possums name and programs in your marketing and advertising with the aim of promoting and/or commercially growing the services of your business or institution (e.g. your private practice, your hospital, a family and child health service).

We know that health professionals are interested in including the NDC or Possums name as part of the services listed on their websites and in their promotional materials because the NDC or Possums name is recognised by the public, and associated with a wide range of specific and effective clinical methods and ethics, different to what they may receive elsewhere.

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

• Protect the quality and integrity of the programs, so that parents continue to experience them as highly effective

Ensure the ongoing updating of the professionals who advertise that they deliver the programs.

We believe that the Possums/NDC project will survive and thrive because of the ethical behaviours of those who care about NDC or the Possums programs. Although it's easy to feel disempowered and discouraged because so much unethical behaviour is normalised in the world around us, we believe that NDC or Possums will survive and thrive because of those many human beings who've made a decision to live in a way that aligns with their values - even when no-one is looking.

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 Possums comprises

• Over 100 discrete terms or concepts which are unique to NDC or the Possums programs. Used in various combinations, these terms or concepts comprise the various NDC or Possums programs. They are the clinical and educational translations of the research which underlies the NDC or Possums programs;

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

• Trademarked names (e.g. Neuroprotective Developmental Care, The NDC Institute, Possums/The Possums Clinic/the Possums programs, Breastfeeding Stripped Bare).

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.

Do you agree to abide by the Possums/NDC Code of Ethics? Please answer yes or no.

NDC Accreditation

The following is the agreement you will be asked to sign if you choose to join NDC or Possums Accreditation or NDC Maintenance. It is the same as the agreement you signed if you became NDC Accredited using the platforms of the now-closed Possums charity. We hope you agree that it is very important to protect the quality of the Possums name and programs, for the sake of making a genuine difference to the wellbeing of mothers or parents and their little ones.

How to use the NDC or Possums programs name in your marketing and promotion materials, in our social media, or on your practice's website once you are NDC Accredited

If you have completed NDC Accreditation, and are either still a member of the NDC Accreditation pathway or a member of Maintenance of NDC Accreditation with The NDC Institute, you have a license, which you will need to renew annually, to

• Advertise your services using NDC or the Possums programs name, online, hardcopy or in social media

• Promote your services using the NDC accredited logo online, hardcopy or in social media

• Use the materials in the Resource Hub (and to download and use those items which are downloadable), both with patients and for your own professional benefit.

The amount of content available to you through The NDC Institute is very generous, and mostly generated by Pam's life work. She is keen for you to use it, but is also very grateful to you for agreeing to the following statements, so that her work and The NDC Institute can continue.

Do you agree to the following statement? Please answer yes or no. I agree that if I am using materials from the Resource Hub to help educate my colleagues, I will do my best to support The NDC Institute by prominently notifying participants of ndcinstitute.com.au, possumssleepprogram.com and drpam.au.

How to use the NDC or Possums programs name in your marketing and promotion materials, in our social media, or on your practice's website once you are NDC Accredited

If you have completed NDC Accreditation, and are either still a member of the NDC Accreditation pathway or a member of Maintenance of NDC Accreditation with The NDC Institute, you have a license, which you will need to renew annually, to

• Advertise your services using NDC or the Possums programs name, online, hardcopy or in social media

• Promote your services using the NDC accredited logo online, hardcopy or in social media

• Use the materials in the Resource Hub (and to download and use those items which are downloadable), both with patients and for your own professional benefit.

The amount of content available to you through The NDC Institute is very generous, and mostly generated by Pam's life work. She is keen for you to use it, but is also very grateful to you for agreeing to the following statements, so that her work and The NDC Institute can continue.

Do you agree to the following statement? Please answer yes or no. I agree that if I am using materials from the Resource Hub to help educate my colleagues, I will do my best to support The NDC Institute by prominently notifying participants of ndcinstitute.com.au, possumssleepprogram.com and drpam.au.

Please answer yes or no to the following statements:

I agree that if I am using materials from the Resource Hub to help educate my colleagues, I will do my best to support The NDC Institute by prominently notifying participants of ndcinstitute.com.au, possumssleepprogram.com and drpam.au.

I understand that when or if I cease being a member of The NDC Institute, I may continue to use the concepts and principles of NDC in my clinical services, as part of my professional knowledge, to the extent that I wish.

I agree that when or if I cease being a member of The NDC Institute, I will remove reference to NDC Accreditation or the Possums programs from promotions of my services online and hardcopy, other than in my bio where I might choose to state the year in which I became NDC Accredited, also noting the year I ceased to be NDC Accredited.

I agree that when or if I cease to be a member of The NDC Institute, I will remove the NDC Accredited logo from my online and hardcopy promotions.

I agree that when or if I cease being a member of The NDC Institute, I will delete all Possums/NDC digital and printed-out materials from my computer, devices, consultations and waiting room.

I agree that when or if I cease being a member of The NDC Institute, I will still make every effort in alignment with accepted professional ethics and The NDC Institute's Code of Ethics to acknowledge the influence of the NDC or Possums programs upon my own work. That is, I agree that I will not directly rely upon the steps of various NDC or Possums programs in my work without honestly acknowledging where I learnt these steps or concepts from, whenever it is professionally and ethically appropriate to do so.

I agree that when or if I cease being a member of The NDC Institute, I will delete all Sleep, Baby & You materials, including the digital animations and workbooks, from my computer, devices, consultations and waiting room.(Explanation: When you purchase access to the NDC Accreditation Pathway or Maintenance, we are offering Sleep, Baby & You as an extra resource, as part of your annual and renewable NDC Institute membership. If you would like to use SBY for a professional life-time, then we ask you to re-purchase as a single item, which will give you life-time rights.)

NDC or Possums Masterclasses

The following is the agreement you will be asked to sign if you choose to join the NDC or Possums Masterclasses. It is the same as the agreement you signed if you did the Masterclasses using the platforms of the now-closed Possums charity. We hope you agree that it is very important to protect the quality of the Possums name and programs, for the sake of making a genuine difference to the wellbeing of mothers or parents and their little ones.

How to use NDC or the Possums programs once you've completed the Masterclasses

If you've completed the Masterclasses (only, and are not in the NDC Accreditation Pathway or Maintenance of NDC Accreditation), we 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.

Here is an example of how to ethically communicate to the public (for example, in an online or hardcopy bio) that you've completed one or both Masterclasses, if you wished to.

Dr Jane Smith has completed the Neuroprotective Developmental Care or Possums Masterclass in Clinical Breastfeeding Support (year of completion).

However, please note that the Masterclasses don't provide you with actual NDC qualifications (other than completion of a course) nor the right to promote yourself as providing NDC or Possums services.

Do you agree to abide by the following? Please answer yes or no to the following statements.

I accept that completing the NDC Masterclasses does not allow me the right to promote myself in any medium, including online, hardcopy or in social media, as a practitioner who delivers the NDC or Possums programs. Explanation: I accept this for the sake of maintaining high quality of clinical service delivery in NDC or the Possums programs, which is in the best interests of parents with babies.

I agree that when or if I cease being a member of The NDC Institute, I will still make every effort in alignment with accepted professional ethics and The NDC Institute's Code of Ethics to acknowledge the influence of the NDC or Possums programs upon my own work. That is, I agree that I will not directly rely upon the steps of various NDC or Possums programs in my work without honestly acknowledging where I learnt these steps or concepts from, whenever it is professionally and ethically appropriate to do so.