About Us
A baby dies suddenly and unexpectedly every nine days in Scotland and the majority of families will never know why their healthy baby has died. The Scottish Cot Death Trust is the only charity in Scotland dedicated to the issue of sudden unexpected death in babies and young children and trying to find the answers through funding research.
The Scottish Cot Death Trust provides a wide range of support for anyone affected by a sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI). This is predominately for families but extends any professional affected by SUDI. We also provide education sessions to various audiences about Safe Sleep and how to reduce the risks.
By supporting the Scottish Cot Death Trust you can help us make a difference.
Watch our short video, Dawn’s Story, highlighting how our bereavement support services have helped her family over the years since the death of her baby daughter, Fern.
Our Aims
To support anyone in Scotland affected by the sudden unexpected death of a baby or young child
To educate professionals and parents across the country about ways to reduce the risk of SUDI and to better understand what happens after a sudden unexpected death of a baby or young child
To fund vital research into why these babies and children die and how we may prevent future deaths
The charity office is in Glasgow with all activities provided across the country, whether that is the outreach support in the communities where bereaved families live, education delivered in workplace and community settings across Scotland or ways to support individuals with their own awareness or fundraising events.
The small staff team in the office are passionate about the charity – it’s more than just a job for them. The four support workers are based in the community and provide a dedicated service for bereaved families which really does make a difference. The bereavement counselling service only contracts skilled and experienced counsellors who understand what happens when a baby or young child dies suddenly and unexpectedly. Volunteer befrienders provide an invaluable part of the support service giving their time because they want to help others through what they have experienced too. Safe sleep volunteers give their time spreading the word about what the charity does and providing vital safe sleep education sessions.
Our support is provided for as long as a family needs it. The death of child impacts upon a family forever more. Our short campaign video, The First Day, highlights this. Have a watch and share to help others understand why our work is so important.
The charity is governed by a Board of Trustees which meets three times a year. Some of these Trustees also sit on an Executive Committee and meet every two months and along with the Executive Director to ensure that day to day operational matters are of the highest standard.
The charity is regulated by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR). Our charity number is SC003458