Halton councillor calls for action over ‘sleeping babies’
A Halton mum’s desperate search for her stillborn baby’s grave more than 40 years on has helped inspire a councillor to call for more action over the ‘sleeping babies’ scandal.
By Runcorn & Widnes World
A Halton councillor is calling for more support for families affected by the historic “sleeping babies” scandal, after hearing about a local mother who has spent more than 40 years searching for her stillborn daughter’s grave.
Councillor Carol Plumpton Walsh has tabled a motion for discussion at a forthcoming meeting of Halton Borough Council’s Full Council.
The motion calls for Halton to support the Sleeping Babies campaign and take practical steps to help local families searching for stillborn or neonatal children who may have been buried in communal graves without their parents’ knowledge or consent.
Before the 1980s, it was common for stillborn babies to be taken from their mothers by hospital staff and buried in shared, unmarked graves. The UK Government has since apologised to affected parents.
Councillor Plumpton Walsh said the issue had been brought home by the experience of Karen, whose daughter Paula was born at Widnes Maternity Home on 29 October 1981.
Karen was not able to hold her daughter and has spent decades searching records and contacting organisations to find out where Paula was buried. She still does not know where her daughter was laid to rest.
“Karen’s story has stayed with me,” Councillor Plumpton Walsh said. “I cannot imagine the pain of searching for your own child for more than 40 years and still not knowing where they are.”
The proposed motion asks the council to provide practical help through bereavement services, including assistance from the chief executive and relevant cabinet member for families carrying out searches.
It also calls for administrative fees and charges to be waived for cemetery record searches, grave location requests and burial deeds when relatives are looking for a stillborn or neonatal child from the period.
Another proposal is for permanent memorials to be established in Halton’s municipal cemeteries, in partnership with local campaign groups, community organisations and faith spaces.
The motion also asks Halton Borough Council to add its support to calls for further action at national level.