Saving babies' lives.
Supporting bereaved families.



Sands Strategy 2022-2025

Download a PDF version of our report

Sands is here to support anyone affected by pregnancy loss and the death of a baby. Every day, we work to improve the care and support that bereaved parents receive – and help create a world where fewer babies die.

Bereaved families are at the heart of our work. We are here to make sure parents’ voices are heard and drive change.

This strategy sets out the changes we want to make by 2025 – and how we plan to achieve them.

Our new strategy is ambitious.
But with your support, we can make it a reality.

A big thank you

This strategy was created with the incredible input of many people with different backgrounds and experiences, who have been touched by baby loss in many different ways – as a parent, friend, colleague, health care professional, researcher, staff member, or volunteer.

We are so thankful to everyone in helping us to shape this ambition.

Bereaved families like Priya mother. "Research is one of the only ways we will get answers to why our baby died" . Fundraisers like Terence bereaved father "Sadly, we have seen first-hand the amazing work Sands does for grieving parents, which is why I am so proud to now fundraise for Sands" Volunteers like Hayley Sands befriender "Befriending to me is healing, helping others to heal but also helping myself to heal in the process" Health care professionals like Jodie midwife "Sands training for healthcare professionals has proved invaluable to me not just professionally but personally helping those around me"


Values

The four Sands values . Evidence based" Collaborative" Compassionate" Inclusive"

Our values underpin everything we do and set out to achieve.
They are the golden thread that runs through our strategy:


We are compassionate, collaborative, evidence based and inclusive.

We commit to working as one organisation; learning from experience and striving for continual improvement through innovation.

We will be open and honest; working with respect and integrity, showing empathy, and being inclusive in everything we do.

What we want

At Sands, we have two core aims:

Save babies' lives

Ensure anyone affected by the death of a baby receives the care and support they need

Provided support (through our bereavement support services, volunteers and resources) to over 113,000 people affected by pregnancy loss or the death of a baby. Trained over 7,800 healthcare professionals.
The number of daily baby deaths dropped from 15 to 14.
National Bereavement Care Pathway was introduced: 100% of Trusts in England showed an interest or fully signed up by 2020, 5 early adopter sites launched in Scotland.

Our strategic goals

By 2025, we want

stillbirths and neonatal deaths reduced by 50% in the UK.

The government and NHS have been working towards halving rates since 2015.

By 2025, we want

better care for families.

With the National Bereavement Care Pathway embedded across England and Scotland, and new Bereavement Care Pathways introduced in Wales and Northern Ireland.

By 2025, we want

Sands supporting more bereaved parents and families.

Helping them get the support that they need.

By 2025, we want

everyone in the UK to better understand:

The extent of baby loss

Who we are

What we offer

How will we get there

To achieve these strategic goals by 2025, we will need to do four things:

1 Build our community
Save babies' lives and tackle inequality
3 Improve bereavement care and support
4 Grow our charity sustainably

Build our community

We are the UK’s leading bereavement support charity for anyone affected by pregnancy loss or the death of a baby. From individual families accessing our support to organisations turning to us for information and advice, we need everyone to know: Sands is here for you.

We will do this by…

Raising awareness of our cause and work

Each life lost is one tragedy too many. Everyone across the UK needs to know how common pregnancy loss and baby death is. The impact is immeasurable – and, the chances are, that everyone knows someone who has been affected. Yet we’re still not talking about it. As the voice of bereaved families, we will help break the silence.

"The worst thing to do is pretend nothing happened… the fact you’re talking to me about him is such a comfort. Don’t worry if you say something wrong. That’s better than nothing at all." Richard bereaved father

Welcoming everyone who needs our support

Whether families are coping with pregnancy loss or baby death – we will make sure everyone feels welcome, valued and equal. 

A group of people, one in a Sands top, stand smiling arm in arm.
"Befriending, to me, is using my pain and grief turning it into something positive and offering the same support we were offered to others. It helps me make sense of her death and gives it a purpose." Steven Guy, bereaved father and Northern Ireland Coordinator

Proactively bringing people to Sands

We will reach out to all bereaved parents and families to offer support; work with local communities and special interest groups; create open spaces to invite families in.

Putting people’s needs first    

People are at the heart of everything we do; from the families we support to the volunteers and supporters we depend on...

We're here for... Families. Tailoring our services and treat parents with respect and dignity. “When I lost my babies, Sands Shrewsbury came through for me. They organised the funerals and plots, and gave me the emotional and grief support I needed.” Amy Dyght, bereaved mother.
Volunteers. Developing opportunities that give our volunteers real choice, while working towards our mission. “We want to enable our incredible supporters across the UK to volunteer in ways which work for them and have the most impact in their community.” Jen Coates, Director of Volunteering and Bereavement Support.
Supporters. Building a supporter journey that gives people what they are looking for, and evolves with their needs. “...our little babies up there would be smiling down at us for raising this amount, I’m so proud to be a part of this [...] For me Sands is family [...] I consider each and every one you part of my heart." Amy Lou Welburn, bereaved mother and supporter.

Save babies' lives and tackle inequality

We are already well known for our bereavement support and our commitment to excellent care, now we will highlight what we are doing to reduce perinatal mortality. We also need to raise awareness of the shocking connection between someone’s racial and socioeconomic background and the likelihood of their baby dying.

We will do this by…

Collaborating and learning

We will work with others to understand why babies die and why we see such drastic inequality; ensuring bereaved parents inform and shape research. It is time to give perinatal mortality research the profile and funding it deserves.

Understanding why…

Babies die We should learn from every baby's death. “Research is vital to finding new ways to reduce baby deaths. Sands’ commitment to strengthening UK perinatal research will directly lead to new discoveries and better care for women and their families.” Dr Sarah Stock, University of Edinburgh, Sands Trustee
Inequalities exist Across pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, birth and the neonatal period. “[…] It’s vital that more is done to find out why babies from minority ethnic and socio-economically deprived backgrounds are at higher risk of dying before, during, or shortly after birth. Clearly there is a complex mix of risk factors […]” Ksavi Joshi, Sands Ambassador

Improving safety in pregnancy, birth and the neonatal period

We have so many opportunities to raise awareness and further knowledge. We can:

  • Campaign to drive improvements and develop policy solutions; working to keep safer care on national agendas and hold governments to account
  • Develop and implement systems and cultures to support safer care
  • Create research-based training and learning resources for clinicians
  • Highlight safer and healthier pregnancy issues
  • Educate parents and pregnant people on safer pregnancy and maternity care
“We have never taken part in a campaign like this, and very much appreciate […] the opportunity to do something positive for and with Sands in memory of our little boy. “ Bereaved parent

Celebrating our work to save babies’ lives

We will invest resources, capacity and time to help save more lives. And we will continue to share the stories of bereaved parents.

“For us, the association with Sands is a strong symbol of our belief that parents are central to finding answers about stillbirth and our commitment to growing the role of parents in our future work.” Professor Gordon Smith, Cambridge University

Campaigning and advocating

We need to work to secure improvements within our health system and to change attitudes in society. We will amplify the voices of bereaved parents from groups who have higher risk factors. They need to be listened to – and their care improved.

Inequalities in Perinatal outcomes

Black and Black British babies are more than 2x as likely to be stillborn as White babies

Asian and Asian British babies are 60% more likely to be stillborn

Babies whose mothers live in the most deprived areas are 2x more likely to be stillborn than babies born to mothers in the least deprived areas

Source: MBRRACE-UK, Perinatal Mortality Surveillance Report 2019

British parliament

Improve bereavement care and support

We need to push for excellence in the support we give as a charity, and set the standard for the care provided by other services in the sector.

We will do this by…

Supporting families

Working with individuals, we will meet the needs of all those who reach out to us for support, however they get in touch. We will be proactive, using an evidence-based and quality-assured approach to ensure the highest quality care and support possible.

“I really don’t want to think where I’d be had I not had your patience, kindness and support and this safe place to express my thought and feeling... thank you… you have turned my life around, I’m in such a better place now.” Bereaved parent

Leading the way with our bereavement support models

At a national level, we will continue to lead the way through our models of bereavement support; to tailor our approach around every person’s need, and to help families to focus on growing around grief.

“As a bereavement midwife, I am privileged to help and support families during the darkest days of their lives. Sands is an amazing charity and help me so much in my role to help me do my job to the best I possibly can!” Toni Newlove, bereavement midwife

Sands services we will develop:

  • Counselling to enhance bereavement support
  • Evidence-based, quality assured training and resources for all audiences

 

Professional services we will support:

  • Uptake of the National Bereavement Care Pathway – embedding and monitoring in all Trusts and Health Boards
  • Bereavement care training and resources for healthcare professionals

Issues we will campaign on:

  • Bereavement care within the workplace – building an expectation of excellent support among employers
  • Statutory entitlement – reflecting the needs of bereaved parents
  • The need for excellent care – rallying volunteers and supporters to call for change

Everyone can make a difference. We will start conversations that highlight the importance of everyone feeling able to offer care and support to bereaved families.

A speaker at a microphone in front of a presentation.

Grow sustainably as a charity

We are determined to make the greatest possible difference. We will do this by growing our community of supporters and partners who will help us meet the challenge – working effectively and sustainably.

We will do this by…

Continuing as the UK’s leading baby loss charity

Our work and brand need to be synonymous with excellence. We will be the go-to charity for excellent bereavement care and support, and will lead the way in saving babies’ lives.

“For more than 40 years Sands has been achieving incredible things by supporting bereaved parents and families and leading research to save babies’ lives [...] We’re proud to have the opportunity to support Sands and look forward to doing what we can to help in their mission.” Zoe Poulton, Head of Marketing, Oprema Ltd

Providing thought leadership

We know how the conversation around pregnancy loss and baby death needs to change. It is our responsibility to speak up and inspire innovative action to create change across the UK.

Collaborating with key players

We will develop strong relationships with groups working in perinatal mortality.

Capturing timely opportunities

We will use every opportunity to raise awareness. Baby Loss Awareness Week will become the biggest movement in driving improvements in bereavement care, support and saving lives.

Growing income sustainably

We will grow our community of supporters across the UK, providing them with a world class supporter experience and connecting them to the impact they want to make.

Five women stand wearing Sands tops facing a grassy view while holding out colourful wind spinners.

Thank you for being part of our story

Together we know we can make a difference.

It is incredible how much progress we've made together already, but there is still much more to do.
 
There are so many ways to continue supporting Sands in our ambitions.

Follow Sands to see our vision
become a reality. 

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If you need support:
Visit our website sands.org.uk
Call our helpline on 0808 164 3332
Email Helpline@Sands.org.uk
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