Never, Ever Shake a Baby
The ‘Never, Ever Shake a Baby’ campaign, delivered by BSCP alongside Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and NHS Birmingham and Solihull, launched in June 2022 in response to concerns surrounding shaken baby cases in Birmingham. The campaign urges parents and carers to never, ever shake a baby, regardless of how overwhelmed or stressed they might feel, and has been endorsed by the Birmingham Children’s Trust, West Midlands Police, Birmingham City Council and HM Prison and Probation Service.
The core campaign material is a set of two short films designed to raise awareness of the issue. You can watch the films on the NHS Birmingham & Solihull ‘Crying babies support’ webpage.
“Never, ever shake a baby’ and ICON are there to help professionals talk to new parents about the challenges of babies crying, and show them safe ways to help. The films can be used as conversation starters, and mothers encouraged to share films with fathers and other family members who may not be at health appointments.”
Dr Joanna Garstang, Designated Doctor for Child Death, Birmingham & Solihull ICB
NHS Birmingham & Solihull and Birmingham Safeguarding Children Partnership are promoting the ICON – Babies Cry, You Can Cope programme, which aims to help parents and carers manage normal infant crying and to prevent abusive head trauma injuries to babies caused by shaking, also referred to as ‘shaken baby syndrome’. ICON provides key messages and resources to let parents and carers know that infant crying is normal and there are methods which can help them to cope.
Resources for parents and carers of babies can be found below: