News & events

2012

Department of Work and Pensions agrees to guidance change to ensure bereaved parents receive maternity benefits

February 2012

Sands was extremely concerned last year to hear that some mothers whose babies were stillborn, were being refused maternity benefits by some local benefit offices. Following consultation with the Department of Work and Pensions, and in conjunction with the charity, Working Families, Sands is delighted to announce that the Department is making changes to Maternity Allowance Guidance to ensure mothers of stillborn babies receive the benefits they are legally entitled to.

In future, bereaved parents will only have to produce evidence of stillbirth by way of a birth certificate when claiming Maternity Allowance and Statutory Maternity Pay. While the guidance is being updated, should any parents whose baby is stillborn and who have been issued with a stillbirth certificate, be denied benefits they should contact Prabhavati Mistry at the Department of Work and Pensions who will look into their case Prabhavati.Mistry@dwp.gsi.gov.uk

Support meetings:

Venues for Support Meetings 2012:

We are in need of venues for Support Meetings both Daytime and Evening, we are happy to have a befriender to go along and support you. If you would like to host a support meeting please email us at info@westlondonsands.org.uk

Evening Meetings 8pm onwards:

March 29
May 31
July 26
Aug 30
Sept 27
Oct 25
Dec 13/20

Daytime Meetings 11am onwards:

April 13
May 11
June 8
July 13
Aug 10
Sept 14
Oct 12
Nov 9
Dec 14

Evening Meetings 8pm onwards:

Feb 23 - Chiswick

Daytime Meetings 11am onwards:

March 9 - Barnes

Hillingdon Hospital Services of Remembrance for all Bereaved Parents and their families:

These services are held on the second Saturday of March, June, September and December at 11am in St Luke's Chapel, Lower Ground Floor Hillingdon Hospital, Pield Heath Road, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 3NN. Chaplaincy 01895 279 433 All are welcome to join in remembering our babies.

Mumsnet have launched a Miscarriage Code of Care

The link is as follows: http://www.mumsnet.com/campaigns/miscarriage-code-of-care

The Sand Rose Project:

Sand Rose is not connected to Sands/WLS but has a similar name by coincidence. This charity has 3 cottages with beautiful peaceful gardens in Cornwall where families affected by any bereavement can stay for free. They have a website at www.sandrose.org.uk

They offer one or two week breaks in Cornwall and they can also offer short breaks if needed.

The Sand Rose Project works through a nomination process. All requests for a break must be supported by a nominee. WLS as an organisation can nominate parents or families, so if you feel that anyone you know would benefit from a break we could nominate them. The charity are very clear to say that it’s not a ‘holiday’ but a peaceful break.

They usually book 3 – 6 months in advance.

Subsidised travel costs are available upon request.

If/when you have anyone in mind and if you have further questions, please feel free to call

0845 6076357 Office hours, Monday and Wednesday 9am – 3pm

Opportunities to help with research

"At a loss" research

Dr Samantha Murphy has contacted WLS to assist her. She is looking for parents who have had a stillbirth and those who have had a neonatal death but have chosen not to have a Post Mortem.

Her contact details are: Dr Samantha Murphy, Lecturer, Faculty of Health and Social Care, Room 012 Horlock Building, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA. Tel: +44 (0) 1908 655616

More information on the research proposal can be found here (PDF)

The BRACELET Study

We have been contacted by The BRACELET Study to ask whether parents would be able to help with their work. They are looking at policy and practice in neonatal intensive care units.

Was your baby involved in a clinical trial in neonatal intensive care? Researchers are looking for bereaved parents who would talk to them about their experiences. This is important because the views of bereaved parents have not be sought out until now and those views will help guide how research into treatments for very sick babies might be run in the future.

If you would like to know more about the study you can go to www.bracelet-study.org.uk or you can contact the researchers by email or telephone: Dr Claire Snowdon and Professor Diana Elbourne; 0770 3716112; 0207 9272629. claire.snowdon@lshtm.ac.uk or diana.elbourne@lshtm.ac.uk

Parental experiences of neonatal death with regard to decision-making around having a post mortem

My name is Dr Sam Murphy and I am one of a team of researchers at the Open University who are interested in exploring parental experiences of neonatal death with regard to decision-making around having a post mortem.

At present we are putting together an application for some funding and would like to involve bereaved mothers and fathers in these early stages of planning the research. If successful we would then be looking to involve parents in the process of the research, that is, to sit on the steering committee. The committee would not meet often, probably once every three months over the course of the research, which is expected to last no more than two years.

If you are interested in taking part, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me using the contact details below. I am happy to call you on a mobile. Please be assured that all discussion will remain confidential.

Best wishes,

Sam

Dr Samantha Murphy, Lecturer, Health Studies, Module Chair K260, Co-convenor of the BSA Human Reproduction Study Group, Faculty of Health and Social Care, Room 012, Horlock Building, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA

Tel: +44 (0) 1908 655616, email: S.L.Murphy@open.ac.uk

Women's thoughts and feelings about subsequent pregnancy following stillbirth (SASP)

Louise Watts is a trainee Clinical Psychologist carrying out research for her dissertation on women's thoughts and feelings about subsequent pregnancy following stillbirth (SASP). The research is linked to the SAMMI study (Stillbirth And Maternal Mental health In women), and is supervised by Dr. Antje Horsch & Dr. Kirstie McKenzie-McHarg who run SAMMI.

If you would like to help with this research please email her on: louise.watts@hmc.ox.ac.uk

Further details of the study can be found on the Research Projects area of the SANDS website (although the page currently states that women are eligible if they live around the Oxford area, this will be amended shortly to say - "women will be eligible if they live within a two hour drive of Oxford" which will therefore cover the West London area).

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