Alarmed by the number of sleep-related infant deaths in its system in the past three years, the Department of Children and Families (DCF) has begun a campaign to alert families to the dangers of unsafe sleeping conditions.
According to the Hartford Courant, 15 infants in families in which DCF had a previous or open case died while sleeping since January 1, 2011, more than died from any other single cause.
DCF announced that its case workers will inspect children’s sleeping conditions during visits to foster or family homes, and not leave a home until any problems are fixed. DCF Commissioner Joette Katz said the number of sleeping-related deaths called for a public education campaign for parents similar to that for car seats, smoke detectors, and not drinking alcohol during pregnancy.
