Pre-Christmas, following discussions with parents who contacted us, Glasnevin Trust scheduled to undertake a range of works at the New Angels' Plot. However our progress has been slowed due to the freezing weather and snowfall over the Christmas and New Year period.The following are the main activities undertaken to date or scheduled to be addressed in the coming months:. Removal of several trees on the plot by cutting them down to ground level. This has been completed.. Re-align the memorial plaques on the perimeter of the plot. Proposed for end of February 2010.. Complete the renovation of the pathways and kerbing in the vicinity of the plot. Proposed for the end of February 2010.. Landscaping the pre 1987 section to make the ground levels uniform and even. This is scheduled for April/May.. Landscaping of post 1987 sections will commence thereafter.. Glasnevin Trust assures all families of Angels buried in the plot that no graves will be disturbed during the renovation. The work will be expertly and sensitively undertaken as was the case in the work undertaken in the renovation of the Old Angels Plot, elsewhere in the Cemetery, in 2005. . The landscaping process involves the levelling of the uneven ground through the placement of 300-600mm of topsoil over the existing grounds and this topsoil will then be levelled to avoid any future subsidence of the plot. . We are continuing to improve all areas of the cemetery, including the area around the New Angels' Plot, so as to make the cemetery an even more dignifi ed place to visit.Grave MarkersFollowing discussions with a range of parents over the past months, one of the main issues raised is the desire of some families to be able to individually mark their child's resting place.The Trust has agreed that if any permanent marking is to be allowed (other than headstones in place at post-1987 graves) then it must be offi cially approved by the Trust, very discreet in size and style, uniform in type and capable of carrying an inscription. To date the Trust has identifi ed and suggested the "teddy bear marker" (image above) as being very suitable to achieve the above criteria and families' collective aims.Further feedback and consultation on this design or any alternative is invited before the landscaping works commence in the April/May timeframe. Cut fl owers are also allowed to be placed on the graves.Taken from the Glasenvin Trust website- Feb.2010Update on proposed work at Angels Graves in Glasnevin CemeteryService of RemembranceDonabateFr. Pat Reilly and members of the Community hosted a very special Service of Remembrance on the 31st January 2010. Parents, families and friends shared in a very meaningful celebration of their childrens short lives. There was a great attendance. Fr. Pat had a beautiful Book of Remembrance made to record all the infants names which was brought up to the Altar as a gift during the Service. The names of the children written in the book were called out during the Service. A special candle was also made and lit and each parent or family member was given the opportunity to light a candle during the Service.Afterwards Fr. Pat said " I feel it touched people at a very personal and deep level and please God they will receive the healing we all hope for them." Well done to everyone concerned and it was lovely to be invited and a great honour to attend. Service of RemembranceArklowFr. Martin Cosgrave P.P. invited a speaker from ISANDS to attend a special Service of Remembrance to acknowledge all the children who had died in the community. Damien Moloney a Member of our Support Team spoke about his experience as a bereaved Dad. It was a beautiful Service and there was a real sense of community and belonging about the night. Our thanks to Fr. Cosgrave for inviting us to be part of their special night.isands newsletter38

Meeting with HSE -Organs Retention ReportsSince last July we have been trying to meet with Offi cials from the HSE in relation to the eight pages of unanswered questions that we had submitted following the publication of the Willis/Carter reports. We were promised at a meeting with Minister Mary Harney that our questions would be answered.On Wednesday 3rd February, Ann Cannning and myself met with offi cials from the HSE. At that meeting we were informed that the 'next' stage of post mortem issues is for 'standards' to be compiled and that was what the meeting was to discuss. However our needs were different and a brief discussion took place on the Audits themselves and we aired our views on how the Audit was conducted and that the reports refl ect the negligence of involvement from ISANDS in relation to stillbirth and neonatal death. Our view being, that the people involved in the audit did not have experience in relation to miscarriage, stillbirth and neonatal death issues. We were angry that ISANDS were not consulted at any point even though this was promised at a meeting where we were informed that an audit was in progress. We also expressed our absolute disappointment that the Rotunda Hospital neglected to inform ISANDS that there were serious issues in relation to post-mortems still happening up to 2007 and that someone within the HSE decided that we should not be told, is a disgrace.We raised yet again our concerns about the proposed legislation and the use of 'authorisation' instead of 'informed consent'. We were told that this was not a matter for the discussion at this meeting but now in the hands of those drafting legislation proposals. We said we had already met with representatives from the legislative panel and given our views and raised our concerns. We will continue to do so.We have now to consider our options with regard to our unanswered questions on the Willis/Carter reports and intend to take the matter further.Now it seems we are to move on with an invitation for ISANDS to be part of a panel to compile 'standards'. While we appreciate their gesture in including us at some level on a panel we do not see this as a solution to the awful mistakes of the past, present and worrying future. We stated that we will not be part of a panel if it is just a token gesture or for our names to be included at the back of a document to say we were part of it. If what we have to say is not taken seriously given our experience then there is little point in us being there. We were assured that our contribution is always valued!!We asked that at least the families who were affected by these awful scandals should be thanked for the role that their children played in medical science and development. We intend to pursue this matter further.We will keep you updated.If you are interested in the questions that we asked in relation to the Willis/Carter Reports you can download them on our websitewww.isands.ie. Please be aware that these questions are of a sensitive nature. Ron Smith-MurphyI was delighted to be invited into Tallaght Hospital to meet the Social Work Team and have the opportunity to outline the work of the charity, parents experiences and our Guidelines for Professionals. It was a very fruitful interaction and those attending got the opportunity to ask questions and receive a copy of our Professional Guidelines.It is a great initiative and coming especially from a General Hospital and not necessarily Maternity. I would like to thank Catriona Whelan for organising the group and I hope it was in some way benefi cial.As I said on the day I truly believe how parents and families are communicated with at the time of great sadness in their lives is a key factor to how they grieve afterwards.If any other group of Health Care Professionals or others are interested in a similar type presentation please make contact with us.RonTraining Days for Health Care Professionals isands newsletter39