Our Story
The charity began working with bereaved children, young people and their families in 2009. To date, we have supported over 2500 children and young people who have experienced the death of someone important to them.
The charity was founded in recognition that there wasn’t existing local support for bereaved families in Coventry and Warwickshire, a need which we were able to fulfil.
Over the years since we started the team has grown, and the support we are able to offer has grown too. To read more about what support might look like for your family or a family you know take a look at our services. Many of the team at Guy’s Gift have personal experience of bereavement and the impact it has within a family.
Our Mission
Our aim is to help children and young people through the grieving process in a safe, supportive and educational environment by increasing a child’s knowledge and understanding of death; increasing awareness and understanding of the grieving process; providing strategies for coping, and promoting open communication within the family and with peers.
We have a small professional team which includes a team of four Bereavement Support Workers and Counsellors, who are helped by a team of experienced volunteers. We draw on a range of specialist skills to provide support options to help children, young people and their families.
Our team are hugely passionate about being able to provide a service which not only offers immediate reassurance and support, but also has a positive impact into the future for those who have sought our help.
You could be part of our story too! If you’re interested in joining our team, check out opportunities here.
How we aim to make a difference
Guy’s Gift delivers bereavement support for children and young people throughout Coventry and Warwickshire. Our early intervention service is open to 5 to 25 year olds and tackles a range of emotional concerns, preventing them from escalating and also helping individuals to achieve their potential and continue their lives in a meaningful way.
We tackle many problems that bereaved children and young people face, including grief; low self-esteem; lack of confidence; isolation; disturbed sleep; separation anxiety; aggression; loss of purpose in life that may result in deterioration in schoolwork, concentration, behaviour, poor school attendance and loss of life opportunities.
We don’t stop supporting a child just because a series of therapy sessions has come to an end. We will support each and every child until they have reached a point where our intervention is no longer needed.
Whilst helping children and young people through a bereavement, we understand that parents and carers need support too – to reassure them that they are doing all they can to help their child. As well as group therapy sessions for children and young people, we also run a parents’ support group.
