ITS-SIDS For Trainers When SIDS happens

SIDS in Childcare

From 1997 to 2003, SIDS accounted for two-thirds of the deaths in N.C. childcare facilities according to data from the N.C. Division of Child Development. During these seven years 36 of the 54 deaths in child care were attributed to SIDS. In March 2003, a series of newspaper articles focusing on deaths in child care, prompted legislators to take action to ensure that children were better protected in licensed child care settings. Their action resulted in the N.C. Prevent SIDS law (GS 110-91-15) and corresponding childcare licensing rules.

When SIDS happens in a childcare facility this amounts to a double tragedy - in which both the infant's family and the childcare provider are profoundly affected by the loss of the child. The larger childcare community is also impacted.

This tragedy can be more devastating if the provider has received the ITS-SIDS training and is informed about the safe sleep standards but did not adhere to them. However, this situation will also be very difficult even if the provider followed all of the SIDS risk reduction requirements and yet the infant died suddenly and unexpectedly.

The time between the death and the results of the death scene investigation, the autopsy findings and the assessment of the baby's medical history may be several weeks or even months. It is important not to jump to the conclusion that the infant's death is SIDS until the medical examiner and the investigators have completed their work.

This lag time places both the parents and the provider in a state of unresolved limbo. However, the autopsy report can serve as a vehicle for helping to bring closure to the infant's death and is an important step in the process of coping with the loss.

What to Expect

Because many ITS-SIDS trainers have close working relationships with providers, you may be asked to provide information or support to parents, staff and the providers' family members in the event that an infant dies suddenly while sleeping. As part of the investigative process you might be asked to verify that the provider participated in the required ITS-SIDS training. Reporters covering the infant's death may want to interview you.

How to Help

You can assist the childcare community as they cope with a SIDS death by being a resource to providers and to parents. This tragedy can serve as a "teachable moment." You may be asked to help the provider or family find grief support. You may find yourself conducting a SIDS workshop for other parents whose children are enrolled in the facility or you may be asked to provide an emergency ITS-SIDS training for staff.

Under these circumstances it will be important to listen to the concerns expressed by the providers and by the parents. Point them in the direction of reputable information sources about SIDS or resources for grief support. Keep in mind that your ITS-SIDS Training Manual has a reputable list of bilingual (English and Spanish) grief and bereavement resources. You might serve as the link between a SIDS Counselor at your county health department and the provider - particularly if you are a Child Care Health Consultant affiliated with the health department.

You may also find yourself engaged in a larger community-based response following an infant death. For example, several years ago, following the death of an infant in child care and the resulting media attention, SIDS counselors, childcare health consultants, childcare providers and others convened a public forum to discuss SIDS. This community-focused response helped allay fears and ease tensions surrounding the death and gave all involved, including the SIDS parents, an opportunity to gain a better understanding of SIDS.

Remind Childcare Providers

When a baby dies, providers may need to be reminded that it takes time to determine the actual cause of death and that an investigation is required. Providers should be prepared to speak with the police, DCD staff, Department of Social Service (DSS) representatives, investigator from the medical examiner's office, insurance representatives or others.

Remind providers to record the sequence of events that occurred on the day the child died and note the dates and times of these events as an aid to helping them remember all of the details. This is an emotionally intense time and the provider as well as the parents may experience shock, disbelief and anger.

To learn more about what happens during the investigation, see For Childcare Providers - When SIDS Happens.

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Last updated: November 2011