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.

Helpline Christmas and New Year opening hours 2023-24
Friday 22 December	9am to 1.30pm
Monday 25 December	Closed
Tuesday 26 December	Closed
Wednesday 27 December	10am to 4pm
Thursday 28 December	10am to 4pm
Friday 29 December	10am to 4pm
Monday 1 January	Closed
Tuesday 2 January onwards, normal hours resume	9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday

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We are a member of the Helplines Partnership

Latest

"We did the things that Fraser would have wanted us to do."

Caroline’s son and only child Fraser died aged 18 from a brain tumour in 2022. Caroline remembers a special Christmas photo of Fraser and shares how she and her husband Phil marked Christmas after he died.
Caroline

Caroline was supported by Child Bereavement UK in Glasgow after her son and only child Fraser died, aged 18, from a brain tumour in 2022.
Child Bereavement UK’s animation 'The Invisible Suitcase’ wins at Big Syn International Film Festival

Child Bereavement UK’s animation ‘The Invisible Suitcase’ was the joint winner in the Mental Health Charity film category at the 2023 Big Syn International Film Festival, London.
Christmas Concert Volunteer | London

4 December 2023 | 4-5 hours

James

James shares why he decided to take part in the London Marathon for Child Bereavement UK and explains how he raised funds.
"We did the things that Fraser would have wanted us to do."

Caroline’s son and only child Fraser died aged 18 from a brain tumour in 2022. Caroline remembers a special Christmas photo of Fraser and shares how she and her husband Phil marked Christmas after he died.
Caroline

Caroline was supported by Child Bereavement UK in Glasgow after her son and only child Fraser died, aged 18, from a brain tumour in 2022.
Child Bereavement UK’s animation 'The Invisible Suitcase’ wins at Big Syn International Film Festival

Child Bereavement UK’s animation ‘The Invisible Suitcase’ was the joint winner in the Mental Health Charity film category at the 2023 Big Syn International Film Festival, London.
Christmas Concert Volunteer | Glasgow

13 December 2023 | 4-5 hours
Christmas Carol Bucket Collection Volunteer | Buckinghamshire

9 and 17 December 2023 | High Wycombe | 1 day
Claire

Claire was supported by Child Bereavement UK in Edinburgh after her son Jamie died aged 10 from Covid-19.
London to Brighton Cycle

Cycle ride | 54 miles
Winter Woolly Wednesday

Wear your cosiest knitwear on 13 December and take part in our Winter Woolly Wednesday.
Olivia and John

Olivia aged 13 was supported by Child Bereavement UK after her mother died. She and her father John talk about how support helped Olivia cope with her grief.

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.
Children's understanding of death at different ages

Guidance on children's understanding of death at different ages and stages of development.
When a grandparent dies

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.