Founded in February 2016, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Baby Loss brings together MPs and Peers from across parties to work on this vital issue.
The APPG’s overall aims are to develop policy that supports families dealing with the grief and loss of a baby, and to raise awareness of what more can be done by the government, Parliament or other agencies to help those affected.
The APPG officers are:
- Co-Chair: Jeremy Hunt MP
- Co-Chair: Cherilyn Mackrory MP
- Vice-Chair: Patricia Gibson MP
- Vice-Chair: Sharon Hodgson MP
- Vice-Chair: Sarah Owen MP
Activities
The group holds four meetings per year, and hears from expert speakers, identifies problems or opportunities in national policy around baby loss, and advocates in Parliament for the best quality of support for families affected by the loss of a baby.
The group’s details under the Register of All Party Groups is held here on the Parliament.uk website.
COVID-19 and baby loss
In August 2020 the APPG held a virtual meeting focused on the impact of COVID-19 on pregnancy and baby loss. The meeting heard evidence from organisations who support women and partners who experience loss, and the evidence was stark; COVID-19 has exacerbated existing challenges, and has had a negative impact on the experience of women, partners and their families at the worst possible time of their lives. While recognising the increased pressure that health services have faced during the pandemic, the APPG have produced this short report which seeks to highlight key challenges and make suggestions for how healthcare professionals can continue to deliver the best possible care. You can read the report on baby loss and COVID-19 here.
Beyond Awareness to Action: Tackling baby loss in the UK
On 12th October 2016, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Baby Loss launched ‘Beyond Awareness to Action: Tackling baby loss in the UK’. This vision document set out the APPG’s goals for preventing and reducing baby loss, as well as improving the quality of bereavement care and support offered to parents. Read the vision paper.
The vision was launched in Parliament during Baby Loss Awareness Week 2016. The APPG held a reception for parents, charities, professionals, MPs and Peers, hosted by the Speaker, the Rt Hon John Bercow, with presentations from Ministers and Chris Reid, co-founder of Teddy’s Wish.
The reception was made possible through the ongoing support of a wide range of charities, health professionals and parents, and has been funded by the charities Teddy’s Wish and the Lullaby Trust.
How to get involved
Having established and managed the APPG since its inception in 2016, the secretariat has now been passed to Sands. If you would like to know more about the work of the APPG, please contact Sands on appg.babyloss@sands.org.uk. You can also help the APPG to raise issues related to baby loss, including SIDS, by contacting your local MP and informing them of the APPG’s work.
Disclaimer
This is not an office webpage of the House of Commons or the House of Lords. It has not been approved by either House or its committees. All Party Parliamentary Groups are informal groups of Members of both Houses with a common interest in particular issues. Any views expressed in APPG publications or on this page are those of the group.
