Coronavirus – services, events and information

Child Bereavement UK recognises its duty of care to all those who use our bereavement services, attend our training and fundraising events, visit our premises, fundraise, volunteer or work for the charity.

Bereavement support

We have been following government advice relating to COVID-19 and have taken action to reduce the spread of coronavirus. Many of our staff are working remotely and we are continuing to offer free, confidential bereavement support by telephone, video or instant messenger. We are offering face-to-face support in limited locations with COVID-19 safety measures in place.

Please find below the latest information and guidance with regard to our services and events.

We will continue to monitor the situation and will update this page to reflect any changes in government guidance and in our response. We apologise for any inconvenience that any changes to our services or activities may cause but trust that you understand that the safety and wellbeing of those who use or support our services is paramount.

Please contact us to find out what support is right for you/your family.

Helpline for families and professionals

We are here to respond to your call, Live Chat or email from 9 am - 5 pm Monday to Friday (except Bank Holidays).

We provide:

Confidential listening
Support, guidance and information
Details about the support Child Bereavement UK can offer
Signposting to other organisations that can also offer support

Helpline 0800 02 888 40

Live Chat via this website

Email [email protected]

For resources to help support children during the coronavirus outbreak, view our guidance films and Information Sheet here.

Training events

Click here for our programme of webinars.

If you have any additional queries please email: [email protected]

Fundraising events

If you have booked to attend a ticketed event and this is postponed or cancelled, we will contact you directly. If you are planning your own fundraising event in aid of Child Bereavement UK, please follow government guidance. Please check our Get involved section for up to date event information.

If you have any additional queries please email: [email protected]

Other useful links

National Bereavement Alliance

Childhood Bereavement Network

At a Loss (UK bereavement signposting website with information and support services).

The Good Grief Trust

Support After Suicide Partnership

Government guidance on supporting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing

Updated: 7 Dec 2021

Latest

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.

Holding a funeral or ceremony when you cannot meet – ideas for families

Ideas for holding a funeral, or other ceremony, at times when it is not possible to meet.
Supporting children through difficult times

Ways to support children who are worried about frightening events, such as the pandemic.
When you can't visit someone who is ill

Ways to support children when restrictions mean you cannot visit someone who is ill.
Coronavirus – supporting pupils

Information for education professionals supporting pupils during the coronavirus covid-19 pandemic
Supporting bereaved children through difficult times

Ways to support a bereaved child through difficult times when they may be worried about changes in their life.

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.