Mission

The Lullaby Trust was pivotal in reducing the rate of SIDS by 70% in the 1990s. We launched a national reduce the risk campaign alongside the Government backed Back to Sleep Campaign and transformed safe baby care practices in the UK. This evidence based information to parents and professionals saved an estimated 19,000 babies lives. But SIDS has not gone away. In England and Wales, about 600 babies die unexpectedly annually and the deaths are referred to the coroner; of these tragic deaths about 270 remain unexplained or only partially explained after postmortem examination.  This figure of 600 and particularly the number of unexplained deaths (which are registered as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or Unascertained or equivalent term) have remained almost static for the last 10 years. This is an unacceptably high number and yet many of these deaths could be prevented. There is now a growing consensus amongst academics, health professionals, policy makers, and charities that a concerted effort is now needed to reduce the number of unexplained deaths. This is why The Lullaby Trust has set a target of bringing the unexplained SIDS number down tobelow 200 by 2015 and to halve it to 150 by 2020.

Category

Disability

Additional Information

The Lullaby Trust believes every parent should be free from the fear of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), which claims the lives of around 270 seemingly healthy babies and toddlers in the UK each year. SIDS leaves families with no explanation as to the sudden and unexpected death of their baby and can be one the most devastating things to ever happen. At The Lullaby Trust we work hard to try to reduce the risk of these tragic deaths by providing free expert safer sleep advice and funding cutting-edge SIDS research. For anyone who has been impacted by the death of a baby or toddler The Lullaby Trust provides a listening ear and specialist bereavement support. Working with the NHS we also support bereaved families before and after the birth of a new baby through the Care of Next Infant (CONI) programme. The Lullaby Trust runs an information line for parents and professionals (0808 802 6869) and a dedicated line for bereaved families (0808 802 6868). Both are free to call fromlandlines and mobiles.