Helps adults find clear, compassionate ways to support a bereaved child or teenager at home, school or in family life. It covers honest conversations about death, keeping routines steady, memory-making ideas and planning for difficult dates after a loss.
At home, in school pastoral support or during family support sessions, parents, carers, teachers and practitioners may need simple words and practical ideas for helping children cope after someone has died. The PDF explains that even very young children feel grief, and that bereaved kids and teenagers may need stability, reassurance, openness and space to express sadness, anger, guilt or confusion.
The content includes guidance on whether a child may attend a funeral, keeping routines as normal as possible, meeting as a family, answering questions truthfully, avoiding confusing phrases such as saying someone is “sleeping”, and reassuring children that they are not to blame. It also suggests using stories, games and art to notice how a child is coping, alongside memory activities such as writing a letter, making a memory jar, creating a memory box and building a list of comforting things to do when they feel sad.
There is useful advice for supporting bereaved teenagers and young people at school, including planning for tiredness, poor concentration, exams and having a trusted person to talk to. It also covers guilt about having fun, not giving older children adult responsibilities too soon, seeking support as an adult, meeting other bereaved young people, and preparing for birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.
