Baby loss and miscarriage will impact most people at some point in their lives, whether directly or via a partner, family member, friend or colleague.
DWF wants to support colleagues who have experienced baby loss and miscarriage by providing tailored support and opportunities for them to discuss their experiences.
As part of its Gender Network, DWF has a number of family support groups including one for baby loss and miscarriage.
The Baby Loss and Miscarriage Group was established to bring people together and provide colleagues with a safe space to share their experiences, advice and support.
Its activities have included listening sessions, resource sharing and contributing feedback into policy development.
For Baby Loss Awareness Week 2024, the group shared reminders of the support available to its members and across all of our gender and family support groups.
Current support measures include:
- Family friendly policies with a special focus on the recently improved Fertility Treatment Support Policy providing leave covering miscarriage for both parents, fertility treatment and where fertility treatment is not successful.
- A baby loss and miscarriage intranet hub containing an overview of internal support and external agencies plus advice for line managers.
- A global Employee Assistance Programme providing counselling services, resources and referrals to local services on topics such as fertility, miscarriage, baby loss, bereavement, and physical and mental health including support for family members.
- Promoting the global #WaveOfLight initiative on 15 October where bereaved families lit candles to remember babies that have been lost.
In October, the Baby Loss and Miscarriage Group also hosted a feedback session for impacted colleagues to have a safe and supportive space to share their experiences and ideas on what more can be done for colleagues experiencing loss of this nature.
Rebecca Hetherington, Legal Counsel and Family Support Group Chair said, "It is extremely important to provide colleagues who have suffered, or are suffering with, baby loss and miscarriage with a supportive, understanding network where they feel comfortable to share their experiences and are listened to. I am really proud of the work we have done so far in bringing people together and continuing the conversation around these topics. We welcome all feedback and encourage colleagues who would like to join the network to reach out.”