Still birth

Before the process of stillbirth registration can begin; you must be in possession of a Medical Certificate of Stillbirth (Form 6). It is the responsibility of the midwife, or certifying Doctor to email this certificate/form through to the Registrar in the local area, as identified by the informant (The person who registers the stillbirth). The Form 6 should only be sent to one local Registration Office, usually the office nearest the address of the parent/s.

If the stillbirth is to be registered in East Dunbartonshire then this should be emailed to registration.services@eastdunbarton.gov.uk.

It would greatly assist the registration process if contact details of the informant e.g. a family member or funeral director could be included when the Form 6 is sent to the Registration Office. If no contact details are provided it is then the responsibility of the informant to contact the Registration Office to start proceedings/initiate the process.

Thereafter, the original copy of the Form 6 should be posted to the Registration office by the midwife or certifying Doctor to:

The Registrar, William Patrick Library, 2-4 West High Street Kirkintilloch G66 1AD

As soon as the Form 6 is received by the registration office, the process of registration can begin, and a member of the registration team will contact you. This is normally within a few days of receiving the paperwork.

Registrations are dealt with in the order in which the paperwork is received.

Please note it may take more than a single phone call with the informant to finalise the registration process.

A child's mother or father/parent has a duty to register the stillbirth. In the case of the death or inability of the mother or father/parent the following persons can register the stillbirth:

• Any relative of the mother or father/parent, if he or she is married to or in a civil partnership with the mother, being a relative who has knowledge of the stillbirth
• The occupier of the premises in which the stillbirth, to the knowledge of that occupier, took place
• Any person present at the stillbirth

A father who is not married to the mother can only register the stillbirth and be named in the register as the father if:

• He jointly signs the register with the mother
• He and the mother sign declarations (these are available from the registrar) that he is the father
• A court declares that he is the father and the mother registers the stillbirth

A woman who is not married to, or in a civil partnership with the mother can only register the stillbirth and be named in the register as a parent if the provisions of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 apply to them and :

• She jointly signs the register with the mother
• She and the mother sign declarations (these are available from the registrar) that she is the parent
• A court declares that she is the parent and the mother registers the stillbirth.

To assist the registration, it would be helpful if you had the following available:

• The certificate of stillbirth (Form 6) issued by the doctor or midwife who was present at the time of the event (this should already be with the Registrar prior to the registration)
• The stillbirth registration card issued by the hospital or midwife
• Your marriage/civil partnership certificate (if applicable/available)

When the registration is complete the registrar will give you, free of charge:

• A certificate of registration of stillbirth for production to the person in charge of the burial ground or crematorium this form is sent to them directly by email.
• If one of the parents registers the stillbirth and requests it, an extract of the entry in the register.

You should register the stillbirth according to local regulations in the country concerned and obtain a certificate of the stillbirth. There is no facility available to register the stillbirth with the British Consul in that country.

Extracts of stillbirth records from 1939 onwards are available from the National Records of Scotland for a fee. Due to the sensitive nature of stillbirth registrations, these extracts are usually only issued to the parents of the stillborn child. However, siblings of stillborn children may apply, either with the express consent of a parent, or on their own behalf, where they can demonstrate that their parents are no longer alive.

Where no name was recorded for the stillborn child at the time of registration, a name can be added at the request of the parents. It is not possible for siblings to request names to be added.

Application forms can be obtained from:

General Registration Unit
National Records of Scotland
New Register House
3 West Register Street
EDINBURGH
EH1 3YT

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