For doctors: When a child is not expected to live

Child Bereavement UK has been funded by BMA Giving to produce this short guidance film to help support doctors working with bereaved families. Child Bereavement UK’s Medical Advisor, Dr Su Laurent, MBBS FRCPCH, gives guidance for doctors around providing sensitive support to families when a child is not expected to live.

Latest

Bereavement Support Practitioner (Outreach) - North
Bereavement Support Practitioner (Outreach) based in Bradford

We are looking to recruit a Bereavement Support Practitioner (Outreach), based in Bradford, to join us here at Child Bereavement UK
New films for doctors working with bereaved families

Child Bereavement UK has been funded by BMA Giving to produce guidance films for doctors working with bereaved families.
Joey Essex talks to bereaved young people

Joey Essex, Patron of Child Bereavement UK talks to young people who have received support.

New films for doctors working with bereaved families

Child Bereavement UK has been funded by BMA Giving to produce guidance films for doctors working with bereaved families.
Festivals and concerts in 2023

Register your interest to volunteer at festivals at concerts across the UK in 2023!
For healthcare professionals: what bereaved families tell us about the importance of communication and the hospital experience

Footage from interviews with bereaved parents, exploring their experiences in hospital settings when their baby or child died or was not expected to live.
For healthcare professionals: what families tell us about being bereaved by suicide

Footage from interviews with bereaved parents and children, exploring their experiences and what helped them after being bereaved by suicide.
London Landmarks Half Marathon

London
Volcano

Watch our short animated film which helps children to cope with difficult feelings like anger, worry and guilt so that emotions don’t build up and erupt - like a volcano.
"It’s emotionally and physically exhausting. Nothing compares to that grief tiredness."

Dan explains how his wife's traumatic death affected his physical health.
"Keeping body and mind in harmony works for me."

How keeping mind and body in harmony helped Efrem cope after his son died aged 22.
2023 TCS London Marathon

London
Jack and William

Jack explains why he and his brother William, aged 24 and 19, are walking 115 miles from Northampton to Manchester to fundraise for Child Bereavement UK

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.
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.
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.
Grief and bereavement in Gypsy and Traveller families

Death and bereavement are experiences common to most of us and few of us go through life without experiencing the death of someone close. Each situation is unique and how we respond to such a death is very individual.
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, and the voluntary and corporate sectors, equipping them to provide the best possible care to bereaved families.
Contact us

Contact one of the Child Bereavement UK centres or get in touch with one of our departments.
Explaining funerals, burial and cremation to children

The following are suggestions to give you the confidence to talk about funerals in a way that feels right for you and your children.
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.

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