Introducing a new toolkit to help discuss safe infant sleep with First Nations and Aboriginal families Honouring our Babies: Safe Sleep Cards & Guide On behalf of the Tripartite First Nations and Aboriginal Maternal and Child Health Committee, we are pleased to announce the availability of a new education toolkit, Honouring our Babies: Safe Sleep Cards & Guide. This new resource will help service providers discuss safe infant sleep practices with First Nations and Aboriginal families and help reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). SIDS is the death of a baby under one year of age which is sudden, unexpected and without a clear cause. SIDS usually happens during sleep or napping and is the most common cause of death in babies between the ages of one month and one year. Although the exact cause or causes of SIDS are not known, there are clear safe sleep practices that are known to reduce a baby’s risk for SIDS. In 2009, a report from the BC Coroners Service showed that Aboriginal babies in BC were four times more likely to die from SIDS than non-Aboriginal babies. In response, a special Tripartite working group was formed between First Nations and federal and provincial governments as well as content experts to develop a culturally appropriate safe sleep training initiative that could be incorporated into existing programs and services. The project was led by Perinatal Services BC, an agency of the Provincial Health Services Authority. Honouring Our Babies: Safe Sleep Cards & Guide is interactive, evidence-informed, and incorporates cultural beliefs, practices, and issues specific to First Nations and Aboriginal communities. The tools include a deck of 21 discussion cards and seven illustrated cards that you can use to prompt and guide discussions with families about safe infant sleep as well as a facilitator’s guide with more information on each card’s topic, research, resources, and graphics. Distribution and Training Over the next few weeks, we are distributing a limited number of hard copies to a range of programs working with Aboriginal families. We are also coordinating in-person training workshops and webinars on the new toolkit throughout the fall. To enquire about the availability of hard copies, or about training sessions, please contact Adam King at [email protected]. The toolkit can also be downloaded from the First Nations Health Authority website at fnhc.ca/index.php/health_actions/maternal_and_child/#safesleep.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Jul 2013 16:04:16 +0000