1. Ask your MP to join the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Baby Loss
What is the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Baby Loss?
The APPG on Baby Loss is a group of MPs and members of the House of Lords from all parties fighting the corner for bereaved families and expectant parents in Parliament.
The group has been instrumental in raising awareness of what more can be done by the Government, Parliament and other agencies to improve care for families after pregnancy loss or the death of a baby and to reduce the risks.
APPG members bring diverse and varied lived experiences and knowledge to the group, including being bereaved parents and healthcare professionals themselves. From across all political parties, members of the APPG are united in their commitment to being a voice in Parliament for parents and families who have lost a baby.
The APPG on Baby Loss holds regular meetings, events and debates hearing from expert speakers, identifying problems and opportunities with national policy around baby loss. The group also advocates in Parliament for safe maternity care and the best quality support for all families affected by the loss of a baby.
Find out more about the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Baby Loss
Ask your MP to join the APPG on Baby Loss
You can use our quick and easy online tool to send an email to your local MP to join. It takes just two minutes.
The more emails we can send to MPs, the more likely they’ll join! It would also be useful to encourage your friends and family members to take part.
2. Organise a meeting with your MP
Will meeting with your MP make a difference?
Meeting your local MP can be fantastic way to get their help to save babies’ lives and improve care and support for families after pregnancy loss or the death of a baby. Your MP is representing you in Parliament, therefore, it is their duty to serve and advocate for you. By raising baby loss and expressing what improvements you’d like the Government to make, your MP can put pressure on to create change.
How your MP can be your voice in Parliament:
- Writing to relevant Government departments such as the Department of Health and Social Care, putting pressure on them to change policy
- Asking Parliamentary Questions (PQs). This is a question put forward by an MP or a member of the House of Lords to the responsible Government minister. PQs can be asked orally or in writing and are used to retrieve information or to put pressure on the Government to act
- Holding a debate in Parliament – a minister from the responsible Government department must respond.
- Setting up an Early Day Motion which are essentially used to draw attention to specific events or campaigns
- Introducing a Ten-Minute Rule Bill which allows your MP to make a case for a new bill in a speech that lasts up to ten minutes.
- Hosting an event in Parliament
- Using their voice in the media and social media
How to organise a meeting with your MP?
It can often feel slightly daunting on how to go about organising such meetings, so we have included a few steps below on the best way to go about.
- Find your local MP
We’ve put together this handy page to help you get in touch with your MP and ask them to meet you. We also have forms for MSPs, MSs and MLAs.
- Book an appointment with your local MP
MPs are very busy people and it is often challenging to be able to reach them. Sometimes sending one email to try and reach them doesn’t quite cut it, but don’t worry there are other ways to get their attention which we’ve outlined below!
- Use the parliamentary website to find out both their constituency and Westminster office details
- Ring or email the constituency office
- Ring or email the Westminster office
- Attend a local surgery with your MP and ask for a more specific time to speak to with them to raise baby loss and improving bereavement care. MPs hold regular surgeries, often on a Friday, to allow the opportunity for constituents to come and discuss local or personal issues and to see how they can assist your needs. Surgeries are usually listed on MP’s websites or on their social media, most commonly Facebook.
- Invite your MP to an event you’re organising. Whether you’re holding an event for Sands, memorial service or a BLAW event, inviting your MP is a fantastic way to raise awareness of the work you’re doing.
- Attend prepared with an ask
MPs meet and hear from hundreds of their constituents each week. Therefore, having a clear ask is a great way to hold them accountable and instigate the change we want to see and work towards a future where babies’ lives are saved and bereavement care is improved. Supporting your asks with some statistics also helps to make a more powerful argument.
Top tip: ask in advance how long your appointment is so you know how long you have your MPs attention for.
Below are a few suggested asks that you could consider asking your MP:
- Table a Written Parliamentary Question on baby loss or speak about baby loss in the House of Commons.
This is an opportunity to ask your MP to ask the Government a specific question on your behalf. Once your MP has asked their question, it will receive an answer from the relevant Secretary of State of Minister responsible.
- Write to your local hospital trust enquiring about their plans to improve maternity services and care
- Join the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Baby Loss
If you secure a meeting, please do reach out to the Sands Public Affairs and Campaigns team, we will be more than happy to speak with you and provide a brief on your MP, constituency and local hospital trust.
Where possible one of the team from Sands can also attend the meeting with you if you’d like.
- Share a photo
If you feel comfortable, trying to get a picture with your MP can be a great way to raise more awareness about baby loss. Often MPs will share pictures from meeting their constituents on their social media channels and we too can also share on our channels to help encourage others to have meeting with their MPs. Remember to tag Sands in your post.
- Follow Up
If you have the time, sending an email or a letter thanking your MP for meeting with you, and summarising what was discussed, can be a great way to remind them of the commitment they made to you during the meeting. Bringing a printed document of your key asks which you can hand to your MP also provides an opportunity for you to follow up with them in the following months asking about progress which has been made.
- Tell us how it went, we’d love to hear how you got on and can help you with the follow-up as well if you’d like. Email us at campaigns@sands.org.uk.
3. Write to your MP
If you don’t have the time to meet with your MP or you simply you don’t feel comfortable in doing so, writing to them is always a good option.
Tips for writing to your MP
- If you feel comfortable, share your own story of how baby loss has affected your life. MPs receive hundreds of letters each day. Therefore, adding in personal information can make your letter stand out and help engage your MP.
- Ask a specific question. This could be anything from writing to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to asking your local hospital about their plans to improve maternity services or bereavement care.
- Mention Sands current campaigns and the current baby loss statistics.
- Make sure you include your address and postcode. This ensures that your MP has confirmation that you live within their constituency and reminds them they have a duty to respond to you.
Top tip: Sending your MP a handwritten letter to their Westminster or Constituency address, is a great way to stand out and ensure that your letter ends up on their desk.
To check who your MP is and find out their address, you can use the Parliament website.
4. Stay updated with how you can help us save babies’ lives
Throughout the year, we have multiple campaigns to help save babies’ lives and bereavement care many of which involve contacting your MP.
- Sign up for updates on our campaigns
- Support our current campaign