Here is a clip produced by Child Bereavement UK. They have lots of brilliant resources on their site.

https://youtu.be/wmzy6fRLcCU 

Grief is a process that someone goes through when adjusting to the loss of someone. Bereavement is the experience of losing someone who is important to them.

Bereavement affects people in different ways and there’s no right or wrong way to grieve. There’s no set pattern, timing or order. Everyone’s experience of losing someone is unique to them. Loss and bereavement are painful and sad. When a young person loses someone they love, they can feel a number of emotions and they can respond in many different ways. Emotions felt can include confusion, loneliness, feeling frightened, guilt, pain and anger.

If you have lost someone and are struggling with coping with this loss, it’s really important that you seek help from an adult. The adult can listen to you and arrange specialist support if you’re ready for that.

So, when you are ready, what if you talk to an adult in school who you feel comfortable with and trust? Ideally, your Head of Year would be the best person to talk to but maybe you have a teacher who you get on with really well? They can then speak with the Head of Year. If you’re not comfortable talking with someone face to face, you can always send an email – this can be easier sometimes.

There are many options for support available that we in school can arrange in order to ensure that a young person receives the help they need. An example of this is the Unicorn Service which is part of St.David’s Hospice. A specialised young person bereavement counsellor can support a young person either in school or in their home. Feedback from young people who have received support from the Unicorn Service is that it really helped them through the grieving process.

Sometimes, a family member may be really ill and this can affect a young person making the situation and associated feelings really difficult to cope with. It’s really important that any young person experiencing this shares their feelings with someone they trust.

There are other types of loss that can also affect a young person e.g. losing a pet or losing their home. It can also be really hard for a young person when parents separate. Again, it’s important that any young person struggling with such an experience shares how they’re feeling with someone and seeks support.

 

Websites and Agencies 

Child Bereavement UK  https://www.childbereavementuk.org/      0800 02 888 40

Grief Encounter             https://www.griefencounter.org.uk/           08088 020 111

Winston’s Wish              https://www.winstonswish.org/                 08088 020 021

Cruse   https://www.cruse.org.uk/get-support/supporting-children-and-young-people/   08088  081 677

Unicorn Service             https://stdavidshospicecare.org/our-services/support-for-children 

Young Minds                  https://www.youngminds.org.uk/