Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary School and Nursery

Bereavement

What is Bereavement?

Grief is the sadness we feel when someone we know dies.

Bereavement is the process we go through when someone we know dies.

This process is different for everyone and it is important to remember there is no right or wrong way to deal with grief.

For adults and children grief can impact on all aspects of their daily lives. For example some people can become more withdrawn and quiet, louder, argumentative, forgetful and angry.

How can we support our children through the bereavement process?

Because the bereavement process is different for every child it is important that the support we offer at home and at school is child led initially and it should always give children the opportunity to label and express their emotions.

This support can be achieved through the child's interests; walks outside, play, music, crafts and colouring.

The most important thing is that the children know they have people around them who will listen to how they are feeling and who can help and support them.

At Bishop Lonsdale two members of staff have been trained by Treetops in order to further enhance the support in school for children experiencing bereavement. All bereavement support is monitored and overseen by the Inclusion Team.

For advice and ideas on how to support your children through the bereavement process please click on the links below.

ELSA support

https://www.elsa-support.co.uk/free-grief-pack/

This is a free pack

In this pack there are 16 activities to choose from. There are supporting worksheets for some activities. A lot of the things you will have at home

The pack is in a PDF form and PowerPoint so can be viewed on all devices

Young Minds

Advice for parents about how you can support your child through the bereavement process

https://www.youngminds.org.uk/parent/parents-a-z-mental-health-guide/grief-and-loss/

Treetops

Advice for parents about how you can support your child through the bereavement process

https://www.treetopshospice.org.uk/resources/blogs-vlogs-podcasts/supporting-children-following-the-death-of-a-loved-one/

Child Bereavement UK Child Bereavement UK

Child Bereavement UK Child Bereavement UK helps families to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies. They 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.

https://www.childbereavementuk.org/

Winston’s Wish

Winston’s Wish provides emotional and practical bereavement support to children, young people and those who care for them.

https://www.winstonswish.org/

Anna Freud Centre

https://mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/mental-health-needs/bereavement-and-grief/

Apart of Me

Apart of Me is a ground-breaking mobile app, which has been designed to help young people cope with life-limiting illness, death and loss.

The game helps young people by:

Developing emotional literacy and wisdom around death
Sharing stories from other people in similar situations
Providing tailored mindfulness meditations by rockpool
Encouraging important and difficult conversations with loved ones using in-app quest.

Click on the link below for further details.

https://www.apartofme.app/