Sands is committed to championing Equity, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in everything we do.

We recognise that discrimination and inequality continue to affect the lives of many of our community, supporters, volunteers and staff. 

We are committed to amplifying marginalised voices, challenging racism and other forms of discrimination, and advocating for change. We will take a holistic approach that addresses both systemic inequities and non-systemic issues such as unconscious bias and microaggressions.

The below statement sets out how we plan to achieve this.

Providing services

We want everyone to be able to access our services equally, fairly, and without discrimination. We will make adaptations and provisions to cater for the needs of individuals and marginalised communities, representing the wide range of diversity among our community. Our services will be co-produced with input and ideas from people of varied backgrounds and perspectives.

Eliminating inequality and discrimination

Through our research, campaigning, and education work, we will continue to push for inequalities in pregnancy and baby loss to be exposed and eliminated.

Our #EndInequalityInBabyLoss campaign has highlighted that Black and Asian babies are more likely to be stillborn, and die shortly after birth, than white babies. We also know that the systemic racism experienced by many Black, Asian and mixed ethnicity families when navigating maternity and neonatal care is a well-documented problem.

Shockingly, we have calculated that if between 2017 and 2021, stillbirth and neonatal death rates were the same for Black and Asian babies as white babies, 1,704 babies would have survived.  

We also know that deprivation is a key contributing factor in inequalities in pregnancy and baby loss. Stillbirth rates are higher among mothers and birthing people living in the most deprived areas of the UK, and babies are more likely to die shortly after birth in the most deprived areas too.
 

This is unacceptable. 

We know these inequalities are a big part of why progress in reducing baby deaths has stalled in recent years.

We will work towards a world where mothers and birthing people have equitable access to high quality healthcare, and anyone affected by pregnancy loss or the death of a baby has equal access to bereavement care and support. Everyone should be able to access these services fairly, without discrimination. 

We’ll support healthcare providers, politicians and policymakers to understand that pregnant women and birthing people, and those affected by pregnancy and baby loss, have diverse needs and circumstances. 

We will take an intersectional approach to tackling inequality and discrimination, acknowledging how different characteristics and identities can intersect and overlap to create unique experiences, and barriers, when accessing care.

We know that people can face more than one type of discrimination at the same time, and we will work to understand and address these overlapping barriers.

Active allyship

For Sands, being an ally means actively challenging discrimination, listening to communities, and acknowledging our own privilege. 

We know we have a long way to go, but we are committed to a continuous process of learning and building relationships with individuals and communities who are under-represented, under-served and face discrimination. 

We will use our platforms to shine a spotlight on those whose voices are often unheard, whilst also supporting individuals and groups to speak for themselves.

We will not be afraid to challenge and demand change when parents and families are treated unequally. Discrimination and inequality in care and support can lead to preventable baby deaths and impacts on every bereaved family in the UK getting excellent bereavement care and support.

And we will work with our community to stand up for the safety and inclusivity of our services.

As an employer

We will work to ensure that all staff and volunteers have equal opportunities and are treated fairly – without discrimination. At the same time, we recognise that systemic inequality, discrimination and power imbalances will exist in our own organisation too. We will take active steps to address this, providing support and resources specific to each person’s needs.

We value difference and we are determined to take action to improve diversity at all levels amongst our staff and volunteers.

Above all, we want a culture where all staff and volunteers feel valued, respected and empowered to contribute their unique ideas, perspectives and talents.

By doing so, we will strengthen the quality of our work and better help us achieve our core aims of saving babies’ lives and ensuring the highest quality of support of care and support for anyone affected by pregnancy loss or the death of a baby.

We invite the Sands community to hold us accountable and to join us in building a more equitable future.