To many members this is the most important role of NNICUPS. A roster of suitable, willing volunteers is kept in the Unit. The staff offer this service to new parents and ask a "parent" with a similar experience to talk to them. Parent volunteers have no formal training. These parents are there to listen as caring / supportive parents only.

This booklet was one of NNICUPS first priorities and was written and published in 1994 by members of NNICUPS and that staff at the Unit. It was funded by the Wentworth Area Health Service.
The "Parents' Booklet" was updated in 2004 and funded by Mr Colin Parras, staff and patrons of the Peachtree Inn Hotel, Penrith and NNICUPS.

Funds have been raised to provide practical support to parents and some equipment for the Unit.

Initial funds were used to buy six electric breast pumps. These are lent to mothers to take home until the baby is able to be breastfed. It's often the only contribution a mother feels she can make. These are constantly in use and have been replaced over the years.

Parents' sitting and breastfeeding rooms have been furnished by NNICUPS. TVs, a videos and toys for siblings, microwaves and double beds have all helped to make the parents' area a little more like home, making this traumatic experience a little more bearable.

The urgent need for assisted accommodation for families from afar was recognised as one of NNICUPS' priorities.

In 1993, McDonalds was approached by NNICUPS to build a Ronald McDonald House, however, as cancer patients were also in need this faculty it did not fall within their criteria.

Our McDonalds contact, John Tourish, was president of the the Penrith Rotary Club at that time and suggested they take up the cause. After 9 years of fundraising and meeting the demands of building a residential facility on Gonvernment land a dream has finally become reality.

Hope Cottage has been a fully functional residential facility since May 2005. With the help of many contractors, Hope Cottage, a $1.4m project was built for just over &$900,000.

Hope Cottage

Chairman of The Cottage Trust, Frank Portelli said "we are indebted to these organisations for sharing our vision and providing us with skills and materials to make our dream a reality. To the many groups and individuals who have donated money to the fund, we also thank you for without your contributions we would not have completed the project.

A quarterly newsletter is sent to members and it is available to all parents.

It is a credit to the staff of Nepean's NICU, particularly Dr. Lyn Downe and Sister Irene Wong, and the parents who have "graduated" from the Unit, that NNICUPS is a thriving, local charity.

NNICUPS is one of the few neonatal support groups in Australia and is proud to have given so much to the Wentworth Area over the last 15 years. It has certainly achieved its aims and continues to support an ever increasing number of parents whose babies are born needing the care of the dedicated team at Nepean Hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.