Programs and Services

SIDS and Kids Programs and Services

1. Advocate for and fund research into stillbirth and other areas of sudden and unexpected child death

2. Maintain the focus on SIDS and Kids Safe Sleeping education programs

3. Extend bereavement support and counselling to families who have experienced stillbirth or the sudden and
unexpected death of a child, regardless of the cause.

Since 1990 our Infant Safe Sleeping Campaign has been instrumental in reducing infant mortality by 85% which equates to over 6,600 babies’ lives saved.

The campaign is targeted towards new and expectant mothers, health care professionals and carers and includes a range of literature, safe sleeping education kit and telephone support. SIDS and Kids also provide Bereavement Support Services to families and the community who have experienced the death of a baby during pregnancy, birth and infancy regardless of the cause.

Our services include counselling, a range of support groups, peer support, 24 hour freecall Bereavement Support line and an extensive range of bereavement support literature.

In March 2004 SIDS and Kids hosted the first National SIDS Pathology Workshop in Canberra. The workshop bought together paediatric and forensic pathologists nationally to discuss the issue of achieving standard definition for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and a recommended and standard autopsy protocol for infant deaths. The forum was instrumental in achieving this goal and has provided health care professionals nationally with a sense of consistency when explaining the cause of death to bereaved families. Since 2004 the national definition is – “The sudden and unexpected death of an infant under 1 year of age, with onset of the lethal episode apparently occurring during sleep, that remains unexplained after a thorough investigation including performance of a complete autopsy, and review of the circumstances of death and the clinical history”.

In 2006 SIDS and Kids broadened its research focus to include Stillbirth. Each year 2,091 Australian babies are stillborn and over 50% of these occur unexpectedly and without any known cause and often towards the end of a pregnancy.

SIDS and Kids has successfully committed itself to research into the possible cause or causes of sudden infant death syndrome and from this research has developed the most successful non-government funded education and awareness campaign. The Infant Safe Sleeping campaign was introduced in the early 1990’s and since then has reduced the incidence of SIDS by 85%.

SIDS and Kids support families who experience the sudden and unexpected death of their baby or child, regardless of the cause.