Bereavement Care
When health professionals have the knowledge, commitment and support they need to provide high quality and culturally safe bereavement care to parents and families following the death of a baby it can have a significant impact on how they will cope with their grief and the memories they will keep of their baby for the future.
This webpage contains bereavement care resources that may support health care providers in the provision of high-quality bereavement care.
For Health Professionals
The Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand (PSANZ) along with the Stillbirth Centre of Research Excellence (Stillbirth CRE), and the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Alliance (SANDA) have published a Clinical Practice Guideline for Care Around Stillbirth and Neonatal Death.
The focus of these guidelines is to improve maternity and newborn care for bereaved parents and families and to improve the quality of data on causes of stillbirth and neonatal deaths through appropriate investigation, audit and classification.
These comprehensive guidelines contain seven areas relating to the best practice management of perinatal death, including:
- Institutional perinatal mortality audit
- Respectful and supportive perinatal bereavement care
- Perinatal autopsy including placental assessment
- Investigations for stillbirth
- Investigation of neonatal deaths
- Perinatal mortality classifications.
Sands have developed the Sands Australian Principles of Bereavement Care to guide health professionals in how to communicate with and support bereaved families in a way that assists them to make important decisions, offers them the opportunity to spend time with their baby, and connects them and their loved ones to a wider support network once they leave the hospital.
IMPROVE
IMPROVE, improving perinatal mortality review and outcomes via education, is a training package of six courses that is designed to support healthcare professionals in responding to women who have experienced stillbirth.
IMPROVE eLearning can also be accessed via NSW My Health Learning (course code: 338074305).
For Families
- Talking with Aboriginal Women about Stillbirth or "Sorry Business" - Video
- Start a culturally appropriate conversation about Stillbirth with Aboriginal women
- Understanding Emotions Video (Tommy's)
Guiding Conversations Booklet
The Guiding Conversations Booklet is an evidence-based, sensitive guide for newly bereaved parents. It includes chapters on:
- A note about grief when your baby dies
- Making decisions for your baby
- Preparing for your baby's birth
- Honouring your baby
- Saying goodbye to your baby
- Understanding why your baby died
- Leaving hospital.
Within Australia and New Zealand, bereaved parents may receive up to five free copies (including postage) and maternity care service providers may receive up to 20 copies free (plus $10 postage), or download a copy.
Visit the Stillbirth Foundation Australia website for more information on help and support resources.
Other helpful resources
Telephone 1300 308 307
Email: support@rednose.com.au
13 11 14
1300 22 4636