Page 2989 - Week 10 - Friday, 8 October 2021
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ACT, at any time, can apply for a certificate to honour their child, even if the parent no longer resides in the ACT. This will be available online from next Friday and through the Access Canberra website.
These certificates are flexible and provide a range of options to make the certificate personal to a person and to their experience. They include a number of artwork designs to choose from, and statements from the artists about the artworks to guide that choice. Families will also be able to indicate what information they would like to have included on the commemorative certificate. As I mentioned, an application can be made at any time, including retrospectively, and I affirm that there is no cost.
I will provide more information on this next week, but I acknowledge that throughout the development of these certificates we have been guided by those with lived experience, advocacy groups and social workers supporting bereaved families. They have shaped the appropriate form for the certificate, the kind of information that should be included, the circumstances under which they should be made available to bereaved parents, the designs and the wording to officially commemorate the loss. A special thank you to Bears of Hope, who recently tested the form and provided invaluable feedback to improve the experience of applying for a certificate.
While our work in the ACT means that the ACT is one of the safest places in the world to give birth, we absolutely acknowledge that there is still significant work to be undertaken. While any pregnancy can result in stillbirth, we know that there are significant equity gaps in stillbirth rates in Australia, including in the ACT. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, women who are migrants and refugees, rural and regional women, women from socially disadvantaged areas and women under 20 years all experience higher rates of stillbirth compared to the general population. We absolutely take maternal and infant health seriously, and Minister Stephen-Smith, I know, takes a very personal and close interest in this, noting that it is a very complex area of health.
We, along with other states and territories, have signed onto the Safer Baby Bundle. This is a national initiative developed by the Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth and it brings together evidence-based education and awareness measures that aim to reduce the rates of stillbirth by 20 per cent by 2023.
Commonwealth funds have contributed to a dedicated perinatal loss education coordinator for health facilities in the ACT. This role will support health professionals to work with families who have experienced perinatal loss and help to foster greater understanding of the causes of stillbirth in the ACT.
We have invested in infrastructure and services to respond to the needs of parents and families who have experienced pregnancy and infant loss. This includes a purpose-built angel room that provides extra privacy and space for families who have lost a baby. There is the completion of the new Early Pregnancy Unit, anticipated for late 2022. It will offer medical, emotional and psychosocial support to parents and families who experience pregnancy loss at less than 20 weeks.
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