In the decades that Sands has been listening to parents we know that not being able to make sense of why their baby died and not having their questions answered as fully as possible can have a life-long impact. Our resources and training for professionals are aimed at supporting healthcare professionals in communicating with and listening to parents as part of any review or investigation process.
Parents' Unique Perspective animation
We developed this short animation to illustrate what we mean by communicating with, and listening to, parents as part of the review process. We show why this is important and the impact it may have on parents if done well or not done at all.
Parent engagement in reviews training
Since 2021 we have been delivering open access online training to support professionals involved in the review process. We lead professionals through pathways and resources for including parents as part of any investigation. The webinar is open to anyone in a professional role anywhere in the world.
Including parents' voices in review
Watch this video which features the voices of bereaved parents talking about their own experiences of review and the voices of healthcare professionals from maternity, neonatal and paediatric care, describing the key principles of parent engagement in review.
Saying Sorry is not a Blame Game
Our statement is aimed at supporting healthcare professionals who may be concerned that saying sorry to families about the death of their baby may be an admission of legal liability for the death of a child. It is not.
Sands 6 Principles of parent engagement
We have listened to parents over decades about their experiences of care and particular around the review of their baby's death. These 6 principles we believe will support healthcare professionals in meeting their needs when it comes to communication around review.
Pathways and resources for engaging parents in review
Sands has been instrumental in ensuring parents are involved in reviews of their care. We chaired a multi-disciplinary group of the PMRT to develop a pathway and unique set of resources to support healthcare professionals communicating with parents about the review process.
Find out more about all the resources and training for professionals to support national initiatives to make care safer for all families, from learning from deaths in review to consent for post mortem