Stevenson Marks 30th Anniversary of the Scottish Cot Death Trust

Stewart Stevenson, SNP MSP for Banffshire & Buchan Coast, has recognised the 30th anniversary of the Scottish Cot Death Trust and praised them for the support that they offer to bereaved parents and families.

Mr Stevenson said:

“As the number of young children who die has diminished, the pain and the sense of guilt that parents can feel when it happens has substantially increased. A child, even of the briefest period on this earth, will leave memories for their parents and for all who have known them.”

He pointed out that there is no single cause of cot death, and cot death is not always satisfactorily identified as the cause of the death.

Mr Stevenson added:

“The Scottish Cot Death Trust is very much to be congratulated for its work. It is draining to support a person who is in mental despair and who has experienced loss and it takes time to provide counselling for people. Over the past 30 years, we have seen the work of the Scottish Cot Death Trust supporting parents across Scotland and beyond.

“It is right that we provide advice on how to minimise the occurrence of cot death. However, it is equally important that we reassure parents that it is not their fault that their child dies from cot death. It will almost certainly not—in 99 cases out of 100, and probably more—be the parents’ fault. That is precisely why the Scottish Cot Death Trust has to exist - it must reassure and support parents who do not know what more they could have done, when the answer may be that there was nothing more they could have done.”