Infant Safe Sleep

Training description

Over the past ten years, there have been an average of 33 SUID related deaths a year in Massachusetts. This training will equip home visitors and early intervention specialists with the knowledge and skills to identify unsafe sleep environments, support families in practicing safe sleep, and navigate sensitive conversations around infant death and grief.

Participants will explore risk factors, prevention strategies, and sample guided questions for approaching safe sleep conversations with families in a culturally responsive and compassionate way. This training will also provide tools and resources, including a safe sleep reference guide and access to grief services, that family support providers can share with and use with the families they work with.

Learning Objectives

1. Effectively communicate the burden and causes of sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) to families based on development-specific risks during home visits, empowering caregivers with the knowledge and confidence to reduce risks.
2. Recognize that cultural beliefs, family traditions, and barriers such as housing instability and lack of resources can affect safe sleep practices, and approach conversations with families with empathy.
3. Identify unsafe sleep practices and provide tailored recommendations to help families improve infant sleep environments when conducting home assessments.
4. Connect families with strategies, resources, and services that promote safer sleep, including access to grief services in the wake of an infant of child death.