SANDS AWARENESS WEEK


was able to improve surrogacy rights, so they are in line with the IVF policy, which involves medical leave to attend antenatal appointments for instance,” Rod recalled. “With the IVF policy we managed to secure up to 40 hours’ paid leave a year to attend relevant fertility appointments, as officers were having to use annual leave. With surrogacy, which tends to rely on similar processes, we are now mirroring our rights for the surrogates, as if they were going through IVF themselves.” Zoë added: “The training


day was really beneficial, and we have raised more awareness amongst everyone about surrogacy, the intricacies, and the difficulties around that. It can be massively impactful on being able to do your job, as when you register with Surrogacy UK, the surrogate picks the couple. “The surrogate for our couple in force is based in Wales, so if they want to be at antenatal appointments, they’ve got to travel all that way. It’s not just they need a couple of hours off for an appointment, they need a whole day. It was an eye-opener.” In 2016, Rod and his wife sadly had a miscarriage at 10 weeks, followed by two more miscarriages in a year. So, in 12 months they had tragically lost three babies. He soon set up a focus group with Zoë


ensure we are re-introducing them back following time off. “We may have members of staff who suffer a miscarriage or a stillbirth, people who struggle to conceive and go down fertility routes where we know we see high rates of miscarriage or failed IVF. If fertility treatments are unsuccessful we are likely to have staff who choose to explore surrogacy or adoption. Each one of these pathways to having a child require bespoke support and approaching each member of staff as


experienced and how that can have a lasting effect, recognising they may need some support from not just family and friends, but also the organisation to put them on track and be there for them. “If you support an individual, they will


also have more respect for you as an employer and organisation. We become an employer of choice. The more you look after your staff, the more they want to work for you. In the longer term, it impacts positively on retention and their productivity increases. “For me, it is about employees


“For me, it is about employees are not just individuals who are faceless, they do actually have their own story, their own personality, their own experiences and challenges.”


individuals who require tailored support. “We then also have to look at what support is available for somebody who has reached the end of their fertility journey and it hasn’t resulted in the outcome they want.


“So, under the spectrum of miscarriage


to look at what was being done well, what made it a better workplace experience, and where people were failed before. It became apparent many issues stemmed from a lack of understanding from line managers. Working alongside Zoë, Rod recruited 10 miscarriage and baby loss supporters from different ranks who were given bespoke training in how to support and signpost both line managers and impacting colleagues in their time of crisis. They now have 12 miscarriage and baby loss supporters as well as fertility supporters to help those starting their fertility journey. Thanks to people bravely opening up and sharing their experiences, it has enabled the team to learn just how big the umbrella is when it comes to baby loss and different fertility journeys so they can support everyone equally. “That fertility journey can take lots of


routes,” Rod explained. “It could be a normal conception, a healthy pregnancy and birth of a child with no complications, in these cases we need to support people when away from the workplace and


and baby loss support, plus maternity support, what we’re looking at is somebody’s journey to becoming a parent or a journey towards aiming to become a parent. I think the strength in what we have achieved is we have made some changes in one specific area with miscarriage which has just snowballed in a really positive way into the need to support those other areas equally to level the playing field for everybody.” As with many things in policing, the level of support for officers varies from force to force. The National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Family Support Portfolio has since created family support guidance, including recommendations and setting minimum statutory standards. Rod, who has been its miscarriage


and baby loss lead since February 2023, has played a pivotal role in forming the guidance. Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Julie Dean from Norfolk Constabulary, who leads on the portfolio, said: “You can’t underestimate the impact these experiences have on individuals and having a supportive organisation can really make a difference to the recovery of the individual. “Just that recognition from a line


manager/supervisor perspective around the trauma someone might have


15 | POLICE | JUNE | 2024


are not just individuals who are faceless, they do actually have their own story, their own personality, their own experiences and challenges. The more you share that as an organisation the richer and more diverse and more


productive your organisation becomes.” Zoë has also played a key role in securing changes across England and Wales, and by delivering presentations to 18 forces, some forces have since set up support groups including the Met and Devon and Cornwall. “It shouldn’t be a force lottery,” she


said. “You should be able to get access to the same level of support no matter which force you are in. “I think it is something Fed reps can


play their role in too, taking it to their chiefs if it isn’t something being done within their force. Ultimately the force benefits as they will be able to return to work, potentially quicker, if they receive the right support.”


For more information and support, visit: www.sands.org.uk/support-you www.tommys.org/baby-loss-support www.childbereavementuk.org www.simonsays.org.uk


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