The Joint Agency Response

Police will automatically attend the department when they are notified by Ambulance Control that a child has been found dead or collapsed. Initially, uniformed police officers may attend, but they will handover promptly to specialised plain-clothed police officers.

Childrens Social Care should also be notified as they are part of the rapid response team. They may not be able to attend the Emergency Department out of hours, but the Duty Social Worker should be able to provide vital information on whether the family is known to them and whether there are child protection plans in place.

Before the family leave the department, there should be an initial information-sharing and planning discussion between these bodies. In particular, there should be consideration of the safety and wellbeing of any other children in the household.

In the event of a SUDIC of a twin aged under 2 years, the surviving twin is usually admitted to hospital for a period of observation.

What are the rules regarding organ donation?

As, by definition, the cause of death in SUDI is not known, it is important that all organs are examined carefully during the post-mortem examination. For this reason, organ donation is not a possibility in the case of SUDIC.