Supporting Children & Young People Through Grief & Bereavement
This booklet has been written for parents / carers to offer guidance as you support children and young people through grief. It provides information that may help you in responding to your child or young person after a death.
Please click here for booklet: Supporting Children & Young People Through Grief & Bereavement
Cruse Bereavement Support
Resources and information to help children who have been bereaved https://www.cruse.org.uk/understanding-grief/grief-experiences/children-young-people/
Includes information on:
- Should Children go to funerals
- What Children understand about death
- Complicated Grief in Children
- Signs of Grief in a Child
- Helping Teenagers cope with death
- Talking to a Child about the death of a Grandparent
Hope Again Youth website of Cruse Bereavement Support where young people can learn how to cope from other young people with grief and to feel less alone. https://www.hopeagain.org.uk/
Bereavement Booklets
- NI Bereavement Network Supporting Children & Young People Through Grief & Bereavement
- Saying Goodbye When Someone Special Dies ‘Saying Goodbye’ booklet
- Safe Harbour: An illustrated storybook for children bereaved by suicide. Developed by bereavement experts – including professionals and people with lived experience – to help a child with their grief by encouraging conversation and developing their understanding of death and suicide https://www.childhoodbereavement.ie/safeharbour/
- Marie Curie Supporting children and young people when someone dies https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/help/support/publications/all/supporting-children-when-someone-dies
- Health & Social Care Dealing with Sudden Death – Helping Children & Adolescents
- Health & Social Care Sudden Death – Common Grief Reactions
Bereavement Support and Resources
Palliative Care and Bereavement in Schools:
https://northerntrust-hscni.pagetiger.com/bereavement-information
This digital roadmap is a one-stop guide for school staff supporting children, young people and families through palliative care, end-of-life care, and bereavement. It is a centralised hub that connects staff to advice, training and good practice examples, helping them to find the right information at the right time. It also includes resources for teachers, parents, carers, children and young people, along with links to useful support organisations and helplines.
Barnardo’s Child Bereavement Service: Specialist bereavement care for children, young people & their parents/carers. Available for children from the age of 4-18 years https://www.barnardos.org.uk/get-support/services/child-bereavement-service-general
Cancer Fund for Children: For children & young people diagnosed with cancer or living with a parent with cancer. Support is offered to families in their own home, within the community, in the hospital ward & at Daisy Lodge https://cancerfundforchildren.com/
Healing Hearts: Child and Young Person Bereavement Support Foyle Hospice https://foylehospice.com/our-services/child-and-young-person-bereavement-support/
Coping after a Traumatic Event: Leaflets explaining how adults and children may feel after a recent trauma, information on what might help & where to go for support https://www.publichealth.hscni.net/publications/coping-after-traumatic-event
Fresh Minds Education Bereavement Support: Supporting Children Young People & their Families https://freshmindseducation.com/bereavement-support/
Child Bereavement UK: Helps families to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies. Supporting children & young people (up to the age of 25) when someone important to them has died or is not expected to live. Supporting parents & the wider family when a baby or child of any age dies or is dying. https://www.childbereavementuk.org/ The A-Z of Support: https://www.childbereavementuk.org/
Winston’s Wish: Offers free, accessible on line grief support to children and young people ( 25 and under) across the UK who are bereaved or facing the death of someone important. Support for adults who are caring for young grieving people including parents, school staff & healthcare professionals. https://www.winstonswish.org/ Making a Memory Box: https://www.winstonswish.org/memory-box Making a Memory Jar: https://www.winstonswish.orgMemory-Jars-Winstons-Wish
Supporting a bereaved child who has Autism: https://www.winstonswish.org/supporting-a-bereaved-child-who-has-autism/
Autism: Bereavement guides for Adults, Children & Professionals: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/mental-health/bereavement
Supporting children with Special Educational Needs: https://www.winstonswish.org/supporting-children-with-send/
Bodie’s Treasured Memory Bags: Free of charge for bereaved siblings living in the UK and Ireland, aged 3-16 and for those with Special Educational Needs & Disabilities aged 3-25 https://bodiehodgesfoundation.co.uk/bodies-treasured-memory-bags/
Grief Encounter: https://www.griefencounter.org.uk/
Sue Ryder Organisation: Supporting Children and young people who have been bereaved https://www.sueryder.org/how-we-can-help/bereavement-information/supporting-a-child
WHSCT Good Sleep Health: Resources for Adults & Children: https://westerntrust.hscni.net/health-and-wellbeing/healthy-lifestyles/sleep/
Referral Pathways
For children and young people please see: Referral Pathways | Bereaved (hscni.net)