Helpline

We provide confidential support, information and guidance to individuals, families and professionals throughout the UK. Our support team is available to respond to calls, Live Chat or email from 9am - 5pm, Monday to Friday (except bank holidays). Please note, messages can be left via telephone, email or Live Chat and we will respond as soon as possible on our next working day.

Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 0800 02 888 40
Live Chat: via our website

Using our Helpline, email support service or Live Chat

When you contact us, we offer you time to explore your situation and provide information and emotional support. We can also direct you to other appropriate services, and can talk through approaches with you that other bereaved families have found helpful
Our Helpline does not offer counselling, medical information or advice, and we are not an emergency service.
We will endeavour to source interpreters/BSL interpreters where needed/possible.
Our services are confidential but, to help us answer your queries and guide you to appropriate support, we may ask some questions about your situation, such as your geographical location, and your age, or the age of those you are supporting.
For more information about how we use any personal information you give us, see our Privacy Policy.
If you are contacting us out of hours, messages can be left via telephone, email or Live Chat and we will respond as soon as possible on our next working day. Alternatively, please see our list of charities who provide out-of-hours support.
Find out about the difference between bereavement support and counselling.

I contacted the helpline for some professional support how to best support a bereaved parent, which has impacted on my own emotional well-being. It was extremely helpful to talk through my worries, whilst also exploring appropriate ways I can support the family. Their knowledge and expertise has informed my practice whilst also giving me the confidence to support the bereaved families I work with.

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We are a member of the Helplines Partnership

Latest

The Pennant Family

The Pennant family share how they’re fundraising for Child Bereavement UK in memory of their son Ned and how they’ve raised funds with three previous challenges.
Ministry of Sound Classical

The Wyldes | Cornwall
Rudimental

The Wyldes | Cornwall
Y Not Festival

Pikehall | Derbyshire

The Pennant Family

The Pennant family share how they’re fundraising for Child Bereavement UK in memory of their son Ned and how they’ve raised funds with three previous challenges.
Ministry of Sound Classical

The Wyldes | Cornwall
Rudimental

The Wyldes | Cornwall
Y Not Festival

Pikehall | Derbyshire
Festival Volunteering FAQs
London to Brighton Cycle

London - Brighton
Opinion: Why bereavement awareness needs to be on the business agenda

Jane Wood, CEO of Homes for Scotland and Scotland Advisor for Child Bereavement UK, writes about the importance of embedding bereavement awareness in businesses across the UK.
Petition launched calling for a register of bereaved children

A petition, backed by Winston's Wish, Child Bereavement UK and the Childhood Bereavement Network, is calling on government to create a register of bereaved children.
Sam

Sam shares why he fundraised for Child Bereavement UK by taking on the Barcelona Marathon in memory of his father.
Day to Remember Volunteer | Glasgow

Various dates | Glasgow | Full days

Telling a child that someone has died

It is important to tell a child of any age when someone important in their lives has died, and ideally this is done by someone who is closest to them.
Supporting bereaved children and young people

Children and young people grieve just as much as adults but they show it in different ways. Find out how you can help them and more about child grieving.
Grieving for a child of any age

The agony of losing a child of any age is unparalleled. There is no age or point in time that makes it any easier. No parent expects to face the death of their child and no grandparent expects to lose their grandchild.
When a grandparent dies - the impact on children and young people

The death of a grandparent is often a child or young person’s first encounter with the death of someone important. Parents have a great deal to manage when their own parent or carer dies. There is the grief associated with their own loss, but also the reactions and responses of their children to the death of a grandparent.
Children's understanding of death at different ages

Babies and young children have no understanding of the concept of death yet, long before they are able to talk, babies are likely to react to upset and changes in their environment brought about by the absence of a significant person.
Child Bereavement UK training

Child Bereavement UK designs and delivers training for professionals in health and social care, education, the emergency services and the voluntary and corporate sectors, equipping them to provide the best possible care to bereaved families.
Contact us

Contact details for our Helpline, departments and services.
When your baby dies

When a baby lives only a short time or dies before birth due to miscarriage, stillbirth or a painful decision to end the pregnancy, people may assume that the loss is not important. This is simply not the case.
Children's understanding of death at different ages

Guidance on children's understanding of death at different ages and stages of development.
UK death & bereavement statistics

A parent of children under 18 dies every 22 minutes in the UK; around 23,600 a year. This equates to around 111 children being bereaved of a parent every day.

Short guidance films

Our short films are delivered by support practitioners and cover a range of topics on grief and bereavement, providing guidance on what can help. Read more

Books and resources

A list of books and resources relating to grief and bereavement and what may help. Read more

Others' experiences

Some bereaved families find it helpful to read about other peoples’ experiences and how the support they have received has helped them. Read more