Stillbirths
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Stillbirths must be registered within 42 days of the
stillbirth, at the local register office for the district where the
stillbirth occurred.
If the parents are married to each other either parent can register the stillbirth. If the parents are not married, but want the father's details to be entered in the register, they should sign the stillbirth register together.
If the parents are not married to each other and the father does not attend, his name can be entered as the father in the following circumstances:
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if the father is unable to go to the register office with the mother, but the parents would like his details included he can make a statutory declaration on Form 16 (which the registrar can supply to you) acknowledging his paternity which the mother must give to the registrar.
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if the mother is unable to go to the register office with the father, she may make a statutory declaration acknowledging the father's paternity on the Form 16, which the father must give to the registrar.
If the father's particulars are not recorded in the stillbirth register, it may be possible for the stillbirth to be re-registered to include his details at a later date.
Although the majority of stillbirths are registered by parents, sometimes neither the mother or the father are able to attend. In this case the following people can register a stillbirth:
- the occupier of the house or hospital where the stillbirth took place
- someone who was present at the stillbirth
- someone who is responsible for the stillborn child
- the person who found the stillborn child (where the date and place of the stillbirth are unknown).