History of the Crying Baby Prevention Project

In Western Sydney NSW Australia, a group of professionals attended a Shaken Baby Syndrome conference in Sydney where there was discussion about the impact of education programs on the incidence of SBS. The subsequently formed multidisciplinary team decided to produce a locally grown and relevant program based on use of a film to be shown to new parents and prospective parents. The education outcomes hoped for included increasing the strategies and options available to parents and carers confronted with a crying baby. The key message underlying these strategies is that it is dangerous to ever shake a baby.

The animated film was developed with financial support from KidsWest, project support from The Millenium Foundation and Cornucopia Committee, following wide consultation with community members, health, education and child welfare professionals. The DVD has been translated into 19 languages, some have been commercially developed into subtitled versions of the film, it has been evaluated through a research trail and shown and discussed at National and International Conferences to great acclaim.

Members of the project team have included social workers, psychologists, learning and development professionals, paediatricians, administration staff, nurses, university students.

Organisations contributing times, staff and resources includes:

• Westmead Hospital (Women's and Children's Health )
• The Children's Hospital at Westmead where babies who have been injured are treated (Child Protection Unit, Brain Injury Rehabilitation, Education Centre, Department of Psychological Medicine)
• Western Sydney Area Health Service PANOC service
• The Department of Community Services