Historical Stillborn Commemoration Consultation – Survey

We recognise that the loss of a child is a deeply personal and often lifelong experience. For many families, particularly in past decades, the practices and attitudes of the time meant that parents were not fully informed about what happened to their baby, where they were laid to rest, or if/how they were commemorated.

The Metropolitan Cemeteries Board (MCB) is undertaking a truth telling and commemoration project to better understand these historical practices, acknowledge their impact on families, and explore respectful ways to memorialise these places today.

This community consultation invites you to share, only if you wish, aspects of your experience and your views on possible memorial options. You may choose to skip any question. Your responses will help guide decisions about how remembrance and memorialisation can be approached with dignity, care and respect for families.

The survey language may at times refer to parents; however, we appreciate that other family members and loved ones may also be completing this survey, and we welcome and value these perspectives.

We thank you for considering participating, and we acknowledge the courage it can take to share these memories.

Your experience can be given anonymously. If you do provide your contact details, we will keep you up to date on the outcomes of this project. Your privacy will be protected when reviewing your submission. Personal details or experiences will not be published or shared.

If you like to share anything about your child or your experience of loss? You may share as much or as little as feels right for you.

In earlier decades in Western Australia, stillborn babies were often laid to rest in shared or communal graves rather than individual marked graves. These practices reflected the understanding and systems of the time and, for many families, resulted in limited information about where their baby was buried or how they were remembered.

The following questions are about how these babies might be acknowledged or commemorated together as a group, in ways that feel respectful and meaningful. We recognise that everyone’s experience and preferences are different, and there are no right or wrong responses. Your views will help guide how remembrance and recognition may be approached in the future.

This survey can be submitted anonymously. If you’d like to provide your details and/or be updated on projects updates and outcomes, please fill out the below.