Support & guidance Find support Participate in research Participate in research Child Bereavement UK has included some research studies below which we believe aim to both improve the support that bereaved families are offered and adhere to ethical standards. However please note that the inclusion of third party research below does not amount to an endorsement. Current research studies Royal Holloway University: Research into child grief - expert by experience involvement Kate Partridge, a trainee clinical psychologist at Royal Holloway University, is carrying out a research study aimed at trying to better understand the experiences of children and young people who are really struggling to adapt after a bereavement. Kate is currently in the planning stage of her study and would like to consult with children and young people (aged 8-18) who have been bereaved, and their parents, on the study design and the questions she wants to ask in the research. This project is supported by Dr Kirsten Smith, Dr Polly Waite and Dr Jess Kingston who are all clinical psychologists and researchers at Royal Holloway University and the University of Oxford. If you are interested in taking part, you can find further information here. For any questions about taking part, please contact Kate at: [email protected] Safer London: Youth violence bereavement support research Safer London, in partnership with UCL and working collaboratively with Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families and Child Bereavement UK, is working towards developing or informing an effective model of support for parents bereaved of a child by youth violence. They are interested in hearing the voices, experiences, and opinions of those who have lost someone as a result of youth violence – whether this be a child, other family member or friend. Research participants will be required to take part in an hour one-to-one video or telephone interview with the UCL research team. You will be asked about the support you received following your bereavement and your thoughts and suggestions on how that support could be improved. For more information: https://saferlondon.org.uk/bereavement-model-of-support/ West Yorkshire palliative and end-of-life care survey 2023 West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership is interested in finding out what it is like to get palliative and end-of-life care in West Yorkshire. Responses to the survey will contribute towards a Health Needs Assessment across West Yorkshire, which is a process that aims to improve care for people based on their needs and experiences. For more information: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/WYPEOLC2023 Involving parents and staff in learning from child deaths This study is being run by researchers at the University of Birmingham and Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust, funded by the National Institute for Health Research. It aims to improve how hospitals and palliative care teams learn from parents after a child dies. The researchers would like to talk to bereaved parents whose children died in hospital, hospice or palliative care at home from 2021 to July 2022 to help with a research project. For more information visit: https://research.bhamcommunity.nhs.uk/study/involving-parents-and-staff-in-learning-from-child-deaths/ Puddle Jumping: Understanding young children's grief following the death of a sibling. Narratives from parents and educators: A continuing bonds perspective. Deb Ravenscroft is currently undertaking a Doctorate in Education at the University of Chester. She is a Senior Lecturer in Education and teaches across a range of programmes with a particular focus on young children and families. Deb is seeking parents of a child or children in the family who are bereaved of their sibling to help her with her research. Their sibling may have died during their lifetime or before they were born. The research endeavours to understand how young siblings manage their grief following the death of a sibling. There is limited research into how young children navigate the loss of a sibling despite the significant impact it could have on this group of young children. A continuing bonds perspective explores how families develop and continue the relationship between the siblings following the bereavement. If you are interested in taking part or for more information, please see the Participant Information Sheet. The UK Commission on Bereavement: Children and young people survey The UK Commission on Bereavement has launched national surveys for children and young people bereaved in the last 3 years to get their view on how families, friends, schools & services can provide support. There are three surveys: There are three surveys available online for children aged 5-12, 13-15 and 16-17. The survey for 5-12 year olds also includes some questions for parents and carers. For more information on how you and/or your child can take part visit Read more Supporting children and families following the death of a parent Alex Wray, a registered nurse, and research fellow is undertaking research as part of a PhD in Medical Sciences at Hull York Medical School (HYMS) into how professionals can best support children and families following the death of a parent. As part of her research she would like to speak to bereaved children aged 10-18 years and surviving parents who are happy to share their experiences about they how they supported each other and what helped them. If you are interested in taking part, Alex can interview you at a time that suits you via Zoom or telephone. Interviews take approximately one hour. For more information please email [email protected] or phone 07423508088. You can also visit the HYMS website for further information www.hyms.ac.uk Did you lose your mother in childbirth? The Department of Counselling Psychology at City, University of London is looking for adult volunteers to take part in a study on the experience of having lost your mother during childbirth. You would be asked to take part in a one off 1-2-1 interview that would ask about how you have made sense of losing your mother during childbirth. Read more Parent involvement group to help improve stillbirth care through research A research team in Bristol is looking for parents of stillborn babies (who died at least 6 months ago) to help identify the most important aspects of care that should be measured in studies. This will involve discussing what future research should look at and developing key messages for bereaved parents. Read more Children’s Bereavement Care and Adaptive Meaning Making in Bereaved Parents The focus of this research is the immediate bereavement care parents experienced at the time their child died. The research endeavours to increase understanding of the unique role of bereavement care in facilitating meaning-making for bereaved parents. It is part of a Professional Doctorate in Counselling and Psychotherapy Studies / Psychological Trauma that Lesley Dougan, a BACP Accredited Counsellor, is undertaking at the University of Chester. Participants: a parent of a child who died before their 18th birthday and where the bereavement occurred over 12 months ago; additionally, those who accessed bereavement care when their child died. Read more COCOON Study on maternity care since the Covid-19 pandemic The Centre of Research Excellence in Stillbirth in Australia and King’s College London are leading on a study to understand how maternity care has changed since the outbreak of COVID-19. Part of the study seeks to understand psycho-social experiences of the COVID-19 outbreak on parents who have experienced stillbirth or neonatal death during this outbreak. The researchers wish to interview parents who have experienced a late-term miscarriage, a stillbirth, or a neonatal death since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. If you would like to part in this study there is opportunity to leave your details should you want to share your experiences in an interview by taking part in an initial survey. Read more Manage Cookie Preferences