We provide a tailored approach to support, meaning that every child and young person will get support in a way that works for them including:
GROUP SUPPORT
Bringing children and young people together to meet with others with similar experiences. This can help reduce feelings of isolations following a bereavement and gives the group the opportunity to work together with our counselling and support team to process their feelings and emotions.
This is the support type that most families can expect to be offered.
ONE-TO-ONE COUNSELLING AND SUPPORT
Giving the child or young person the opportunity to meet with one of our counsellors. These sessions usually take place at school, and will be guided by the child or young person to ensure they get the most out of our support. They may include space to talk, sharing stories and creative activities.
This support type may not be the first option for every family.
ADVICE AND GUIDANCE
We work closely with schools and families to offer specialist advice and guidance on supporting a child or young person in school and at home. Sometimes support is best received from those the child is already familiar with!
WHAT WE'VE ACHIEVED
In 2019 we were pleased to be able to expand all of our service into Coventry, based on 20% of referrals coming from within the city. Today, we see around a quarter of our overall referrals from Coventry, demonstrating the benefit that local families and schools have seen as a result of this expansion.
Group work remains a big feature in our support, with around a third of all those we support accessing group sessions. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic we have been able to continue offering group support via video calls, which has been a great success.
Throughout 2020 and the early part of 2021 we have developed our online support abilities. We have successfully continued meeting children and young people throughout most of the Covid-19 pandemic, offering counselling and support sessions remotely via video calls. When we returned to being able to provide in-person support in 2022, we maintained the option for remote sessions. This has worked well giving children and young people more flexibility over what their support looks like for them.
We have developed Bereavement Resource Packs, which we provide free of charge to local schools. This means there are resources and information available for school professionals when they need it. This sits alongside our direct support for children and young people.
In spring 2023, we introduced School Professionals’ Drop-In sessions. These take place on a monthly basis and provide information and guidance to school professionals about how they can be supporting bereaved children in school.
“Getting to go to groups and meet other children like me has really helped. I don’t think anyone else really understood until now.”
