Quality of investigations into unexpected deaths of infants and young children in England after implementation of national child death review procedures in 2008: a retrospective assessment.

Objectives: In 2008, new statutory national procedures for responding to unexpected child deaths were introduced throughout England. There has, to date, been no national audit of these procedures.

Study Design: Families bereaved by the unexpected death of a child under 4 years of age since 2008 were invited to participate.

Responding to unexpected infant deaths: experience in one English region.

Aim: New national procedures for responding to the unexpected death of a child in England require a joint agency approach to investigate each death and support the bereaved family. As part of a wider population-based study of sudden unexpected deaths in infancy (SUDI) we evaluated the implementation of this approach.

Methods: A process evaluation was carried out using a population-based study of all unexpected deaths from birth to 2 years in the South West of England between January 2003 and December 2006.

Hazardous cosleeping environments and risk factors amenable to change: case-control study of SIDS in south west England.

Objectives: To investigate the factors associated with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) from birth to age 2 years, whether recent advice has been followed, whether any new risk factors have emerged, and the specific circumstances in which SIDS occurs while cosleeping (infant sharing the same bed or sofa with an adult or child).

Design: Four year population based case-control study. Parents were interviewed shortly after the death or after the reference sleep (within 24 hours) of the two control groups.