What we do

Child Bereavement UK helps families to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies. We support children and young people (up to the age of 25) when someone important to them has died or is not expected to live, and parents and the wider family when a baby or child of any age dies or is dying.

We provide training to 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.

Vision and Mission

Our vision is for all families to have the support they need to rebuild their lives, when a child grieves or when a child dies.

Our mission is to tackle the inequalities that exist in the availability, accessibility and quality of bereavement support and training across the UK and to build capacity within communities to manage the impact of child bereavement.

Values

The work of Child Bereavement UK is underpinned and guided by our commitment to:

Integrity - We place the needs of bereaved families at the heart of everything we do. Our work is based on listening to and learning from the lived experience of the families and professionals with whom we work. We respect everyone’s experience. Confidentiality, discretion and consent are of the utmost importance in our work.

Inclusiveness - We are inclusive of and respectful to all our stakeholders, including colleagues, volunteers, supporters and beneficiaries, in our attitudes, behaviours and activities. We aim to use accessible language and to be open and unbiased. We welcome and respect everyone and advocate for equity, diversity and inclusion across all areas of our work.

Quality - We strive for the highest standards of excellence and professionalism in all aspects of our work. We continually assess, review and improve our systems, processes and impact.

Collaboration - We are committed to a culture of teamwork and collaboration. We work in partnership with other organisations to provide an incrementally improving picture of national child bereavement support.

Bereavement support

We offer free, confidential bereavement support by telephone, video or instant messenger, as well as face to face from a number of locations across the UK.

Support sessions - support for individuals, couples, children, young people and families

Groups for families - facilitated groups for bereaved families where children aged 4-12 and their adult carers can meet others and explore their feelings through creative activities

Groups for young people - facilitated groups for those between the ages of 11 and 25 to meet for social activities and to work on creative projects

Groups for parents - facilitated groups for bereaved parents and carers to meet in a supportive environment

We welcome families and individuals of any gender or gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, disability, race, religion, faith, belief, or sexual orientation.

We will endeavour to source interpreters / BSL interpreters where needed / possible.

Find out more about Child Bereavement UK's services across the UK.

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).

We provide:

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

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

Find out more about our Helpline

Support and training for professionals

We provide a wide range of training, consultancy, supervision and reflective practice to help professionals better understand and meet the needs of bereaved children and families. We offer CPD-certified training delivered by skilled facilitators who are specialists in their field. Our training is based on learning from families and is underpinned by relevant theory and practice. We provide:

A programme of training courses/webinars
Bespoke training to meet your organisation’s needs
Consultancy and evaluation for statutory, voluntary and corporate sectors
Supervision and reflective practice for practitioners working with bereaved children and families

Support and training for schools/further education

We offer a number of resources for schools including:

A range of free, online resources for early years, primary, secondary and further/higher education, including Managing Bereavement: A guide for schools
Webinars for education professionals
Free-to-access online training modules: Supporting a bereaved pupil and Managing a sudden death in collaboration with London Grid for Learning
Elephant’s Tea Party: a bereavement awareness programme for primary and KS3 to help children develop emotional literacy and coping skills

Find out more about our Training.

Email: [email protected]

Please see our current programme of webinars.

Website

Our website hosts a breadth of information, information and short guidance films on a range of bereavement topics. It also includes:

A searchable database of support organisations
Information and resources for schools/further education
Guidance for young people
Details about our training and support for professionals, including webinars, conferences, bereavement in the workplace training, consultancy, supervision and reflective practice
Shop – offering a range of publications, books, leaflets and resources for families and professionals
Ways to get involved with the charity such as volunteering, participating in research or fundraising events

childbereavementuk.org

Publications and resources

We provide books, films and workbooks for bereaved families, which have been developed with their input, and for professionals. Many of our resources have received British Medical Association recognition for educational merit.

Read the Trustees’ Annual Report on the Charity Commission website

Latest

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.

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.