Organisation: Scottish Cot Death Trust

Award Category: UK Support Organisation

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The Scottish Cot Death Trust was founded in 1985 after various research initiatives highlighted the extent of the problem of cot death in Scotland.

Today, 1 baby dies suddenly and unexpectedly every 9 days in Scotland and the majority of families will never know why their healthy baby has died, for no apparent reason.

We are a small charity with just 6 members of staff and our Aims are:

To support families in Scotland affected by the sudden unexpected death of a baby or young child

To educate professionals and parents across the country about ways to reduce the risk of SUDI and to better understand what happens after a sudden unexpected death of a baby or young child

To fund vital research into why these babies and children die and how we may prevent future deaths

Our support services:

Outreach Support
We aim to provide bespoke support which best suits individuals when and where they need it. We have four community based Support Workers covering Scotland.
Their background is in bereavement counselling and their role with the charity is to provide support, practical advice and information to help in all aspects of bereavement. Our community support workers are a dedicated point of contact for all our families bereavement needs. They can meet our families at home, talk on the phone or stay in touch by text or email. They are professionally qualified to support our families and help them make decisions about other support available such as counselling and peer support.

Counselling
A professional counselling service is available for individuals and families directly affected by the loss of a baby or child. We work with a pool of qualified counsellors around the country. Our families will not have to wait longer than a few weeks to see a counsellor as we currently have a contract with over 60 counsellors across Scotland.
The Counsellors and Clinical Psychologists we work with are all experienced and registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) or with the British Psychological Society Chartered members registry. We understand that for some of the individuals we refer for counselling, their counselling needs can be complex. Counselling may not be for everyone but it is good to know we provide this service free of charge to anyone who feels it would help them.

Peer Support

Peer support includes our befriending service and online peer support groups. We can put our families in contact with a dedicated befriender – another mum, dad, grandmother or grandfather who has also experienced the death of a baby or child.
Closed Facebook groups also provide peer support for those who want to share their thoughts and feelings with others who understand but who don’t think that befriending is right for them. Many people will decide that both having one person to talk with as well as a group helps them most.
We organise Family Days in different locations in Scotland at different times of the year, which are free to attend. As well as having a family day out, our families can meet other bereaved families in a relaxed and more natural environment.

For Sibilings
Sometimes children can need some additional help. If this is identified, we can arrange for a play therapist to assess a child. There are different types of play therapy, just as there are different types of counselling therapies for adults.
We can provide information about practical activities that can be done as a family to help siblings. From making memory jars to cuddle pillows, we can suggest ways to help them remember their brother or sister. Sometimes children find it easier to open up about their feelings when their hands are busy.
We have helped develop two books for children which are designed to tackle the issues surrounding the death of a sibling in a sensitive but truthful way.

Next Infant Support Programme
We have developed a Next Infant Support Programme (NISP) specifically to help bereaved families who have experienced the sudden and unexpected death of a baby or young child.
This enhanced service helps families throughout pregnancy and after the birth of a new baby. The purpose of NISP is to provide help and support as needed and to provide reassurance and offer practical advice.
Through the NISP we can provide emotional and practical support to help families cope with the emotions and anxieties which can arise during.

Here’s how we helped families across Scotland last year:

1248 hours of community outreach support by our dedicated bereavement professionals was made available to families across Scotland, which included 203 home visits as well as one-to one on-going contact.
15 befrienders provided peer support to other mums, dads and grandparents.
102 counselling sessions were arranged with the 26 counsellors we contract across Scotland.
95 families were enrolled onto our Next Infant Support Programme which includes provision of an apnoea monitor for the new baby.

What Others Have Said

I’ve worked for the Trust as their Fundraiser since October and think they do amazing work to support families who have been affected by the death of their baby or young child, suddenly and unexpectedly.

They offer home visits, bereavement support workers, pay for counseling, arrange play therapy for siblings, offer peer support through befrienders and Facebook groups. They also have a programme called Next infant support, where they support families who go on to have further children after a loss and provide apnoea monitors.

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