Join the RCM for a powerful and essential webinar exploring how midwives and healthcare professionals can provide equitable, culturally responsive bereavement care in the context of perinatal loss. With an increasingly diverse population, this session offers an opportunity for education on meeting the unique needs of global majority families during times of profound grief.

Hear directly from experts by experience who are actively advocating for change and discover how you can contribute to more inclusive and compassionate care. You’ll also gain insight into specialist services supporting bereaved families from a range of cultural backgrounds.

This webinar will be chaired by Kurt Lee, student midwife at the University of the West of Scotland and he will be joined by:

• Alicia Burnett, midwife and founder of Black Baby Loss Awareness Week
• Lauren Caulfield, student midwife at the University of Manchester and founder of Gracefully App
• Madhuri Bedi, Outreach Coordinator for South Asian Communities at Sands charity.

Why attend

• Opportunity to deepen understanding of culturally responsive bereavement care to better support families from diverse backgrounds
• Hear powerful insights from individuals with lived experience, sharing their advocacy work and how you can support wider efforts for equitable care
• Learn about specialist services that offer meaningful support to global majority families navigating perinatal loss

MIDIRS search packs

• PN1 Perinatal bereavement (not miscarriage)
• P37 Miscarriage: bereavement and counselling
• MS75 Culturally sensitive maternity care

Speakers

Madhuri Bedi, Outreach Coordinator for South Asian Communities at Sands charity

Madhuri is a Bereavement Support and Outreach Coordinator for Sands, the national pregnancy and baby loss charity. Madhuri is dedicated to supporting South Asian communities through their grief. With a deep passion for connecting with bereaved families, she ensures they know they are not alone no matter when their loss happened. Madhuri tirelessly raises awareness about the vital role of bereavement support in the healing journey, especially in the context of baby loss.

Her work includes creating positive partnerships and spearheading initiatives tailored to the unique needs of South Asian families. These efforts aim to improve outcomes and provide compassionate support for parents and families navigating their grief. Having personally experienced baby loss and the associated inequalities, Madhuri is a fervent advocate for change. She works diligently to bring these issues to light and push for systemic improvements.

Madhuri has played a key role in significant projects such as the Listening Report and the Parent Open Letter to the Government. Through these efforts, she amplifies the voices of bereaved parents and champions the cause of addressing and rectifying inequalities in bereavement support. @madhuri.sands and @sandscharity

Alicia Burnett, midwife and founder of Black Baby Loss Awareness Week

Alicia supports parents affected by pregnancy and baby loss. She also campaigns for better representation of marginalised groups in midwifery education, and raises awareness of the health disparities affecting Black women and their babies.

She founded Black Baby Loss Awareness Week to bring attention to the disproportionately high rates of pregnancy and baby loss in Black communities, and raise Black communities’ awareness of the professionals and services that provide care and support for those who have experienced these types of loss. With her personal experience of pregnancy and baby loss combined with her professional experience of supporting bereaved parents, Alicia understands how crucial it is to build supportive, culturally sensitive and understanding networks for those affected. @midwife_alicia and @blackbabylossawareness

Lauren Caulfield, student midwife at the University of Manchester and founder of Gracefully App

Lauren is a student midwife at the University of Manchester and a passionate advocate for compassionate bereavement care, inspired by the loss of her daughter, Grace, in 2022. She is currently developing a free educational app to support student midwives and registered midwives in providing sensitive, informed care to families after baby loss.

Alongside Lauren’s studies, she has worked with NHS England, NHS North West, and university initiatives to improve bereavement education across the North West, including co-creating a digital bereavement placement. She also sits on the NHS NW Student Council and have experience in health communication, project development, and stakeholder engagement.

Lauren’s work is driven by lived experience, professional insight, and a determination to ensure that no family faces baby loss without skilled and compassionate support. @laurenncaul_ and @gracefullyapp

Kurt Lee, student midwife, University of the West of Scotland

Kurt is a student midwife at the University of the West of Scotland with a strong interest in advocacy, healthcare equity and digital engagement. He is the vice-chair and Scotland representative on the Student Midwife Forum at the Royal College of Midwives.

Kurt is the recipient of the 2025 Dora Opoku Award for Black and Brown Student Midwifes from the Iolanthe Midwifery Trust. The funds are being used to develop a workshop in collaboration with Amma Birth Companions, a Glasgow-based charity, entitled ‘Working with Asylum-seeking and Refugee Families in Maternity Care’. This initiative aims to support students in addressing systemic racism and promoting equity within midwifery practice.

Through his extra-curricular commitments and leadership roles, Kurt strives to amplify student voices and promote inclusive, culturally responsive practices in midwifery care. @kurtiouss