'Shaken baby syndrome': child protection issues when children sustain a subdural haemorrhage

In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in both professional and public awareness of the incidence of a condition commonly referred to as ‘shaken baby syndrome’. One of the most common markers of the syndrome is the detection of a subdural haemorrhage (SDH) in an infant. This paper is based on the results of a 2-year research study on the legal and social consequences which arise when children sustain a subdural haemorrhage. The study, which was funded by the Nuffield Foundation, is based on data collected from medical, police, social services and court records of sixty-eight children under the age of 2 years, who were diagnosed with a SDH between 1992 and 1998 in Wales and South West England.