Nursery practitioners in the North West are being offered free safer sleep training as part of a new initiative to help reduce the risk of sleep-related infant deaths.

Early years professionals in the county will be able to enrol one colleague per setting onto the online course thanks to a partnership between Realise Early Years and The Lullaby Trust.

The latest figures show the North West region has an unexplained infant mortality rate of 0.36 per 1,000 live births in comparison with an England average of 0.29.

There are 1,000 places available across the UK, equipping people with evidence-based, potentially life-saving knowledge.

Karen Derbyshire, Director of Early Years at Realise Training Group, said: “We are very proud to be partnering with The Lullaby Trust to launch this important training campaign.

“This is a meaningful way for us to support the early years sector, to help increase knowledge around this important topic and to ultimately help protect children.

“The Lullaby Trust’s safer sleep courses stand out, as they are based on decades of research and evidence. That’s why early years practitioners who take up this offer of free training can be reassured they are studying the very latest guidance from an authoritative source.

“As well as delivering apprenticeships and other training programmes to thousands of practitioners every year, we are wholeheartedly committed to driving meaningful change in the sector and this is another example of that.”

Formed in 1971, The Lullaby Trust provides evidence-based training, advice and support in safer sleep to significantly reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), as well as offering bereavement support to families.

Almost 200 babies die from SIDS every year in the UK, and The Lullaby Trust’s advice has helped to save the lives of almost 32,000 babies in the UK since its ground-breaking Back to Sleep campaign in 1991.

Ellen Lithgow, Public Health Engagement Manager at The Lullaby Trust, said Realise shared the charity’s commitment to reaching more professionals with trusted safer sleep information.

She said: “We have partnered with Realise Early Years as we share the same goal of exceptional care for babies and children.

"As the country's largest training provider in early years, Realise Early Years understands the realities of day-to-day practice in settings of all different sizes. Paired with our expertise in safer sleep, we can work together to ensure more people have access to the essential training and potentially save babies’ lives.

“Early years professionals care for multiple babies at once and make decisions about sleep throughout the day. This training helps practitioners to have the confidence to keep babies as safe as possible every time they sleep – and to speak up if something isn’t right.

“We’re grateful to Realise for helping us spread this important, life-saving message.”
The training covers how to recognise risk factors, identify ways to protect a baby's airway and how to access trusted resources.

To secure a place on a safer sleep course, visit www.realisetraining.com/safersleep