ChildServe’s Post

How to support a grieving child During the time when a child is grieving, you may need help supporting them through grief. Here are a few suggestions: - Offer children the opportunity to express feelings or to tell their story. Let them be the teachers of their experience with grief. - Help children understand loss and death. - Encourage children to ask questions. - Allow children to grieve at their pace; Grief has no timeline. - Be honest; half-truths don’t help healing. - Give children the attention and support they require. Share activities to help them cope. While you’re helping a child through the grief process, remember that it’s OK for you to grieve too. Learn more.

A powerful piece about experiencing grief as an only child: https://lnkd.in/eqJKpefQ

It's the last day of Children’s Grief Awareness Week 2023 #CGAW23! I've got a few more thoughts I hope you will all find useful. Understanding Unique Responses to Grief in Children Children, like adults, respond to grief in different ways. To ensure that we're providing the best support possible, it's vital to acknowledge that every child's experience of grief is distinct and individual. Here are some key strategies: 1. Use their interests: Every child is unique, and their interests can serve as a powerful avenue for bereavement support. Whether it's sports, art, or other hobbies, integrating these interests can create a meaningful connection. 2. Embrace creativity: Engage children creatively using the arts, toys, and other expressive outlets. Providing avenues for them to express emotions through non-verbal means can be profoundly therapeutic. 3. Empower them with choices: Offer children choices and options, especially when it comes to their involvement in funerals, memorials, or other commemorative events. Empowering them in decision-making helps foster a sense of control during a tumultuous time. 4. Use active listening: Perhaps the most critical element is active listening — with both eyes and ears. Paying attention to what the child wants and needs should guide the support we provide. Creating a safe space for them to express themselves is paramount. Let's continue to raise awareness and advocate for these personalised approaches in supporting grieving children. Share your insights on how you've implemented these strategies or other effective methods in the comments below. If you need specialist support for children and youngs adults with SEND/LD who are dealing with grief and bereavement, please visit me at my website: https://lnkd.in/gW9fcJe And if you're looking for the type of interactive support mentioned in Point 2 above, please have a look at the bespoke grief and bereavement toys from BackPocketTeacher available here: https://lnkd.in/e8nmgqFZ And as always, please do share/repost so that we can all help support children when they need us most. #OurShapeofSupport

💐 Gloria Ferguson is passionate about encouraging people to accept that death is part of life. With help from The Business Factory, she is launching a business aimed at opening up conversations about death, dying and grief, and understanding good practice in end-of-life care and support. Gloria found that acknowledging and discussing death can have many positive effects for individuals and their families, helping them to ensure plans are made while people are healthy and have a clear mind, and helping people navigate bereavement and grief. She trained as an end-of-life doula – a holistic companion supporting a dying person, their family and all involved in their caregiving. The training inspired Gloria to explore how to raise awareness around death, dying and grief – and that’s when the idea for her business was born. The End Matters CIC will provide a programme of activities and training around end-of-life care and grief awareness for individuals, community organisations and workforce professionals. The aim is to increase knowledge, skills and confidence and promote a more ‘death positive’ attitude. Gloria took her ideas to The Business Factory to get some professional advice on how to get started. The team helped her to realise that a Community Interest Company (CIC) was the right structure for the business, and signposted her to specialist support from our partners, Junction Point UK. Gloria said: “I absolutely could not have got this far without the input of the teams. Being able to pick up the phone at any point and talk to a real person is invaluable. They have a genuine desire to help businesses to become successful and sustainable so they’re always operating in your best interest.” Now, Gloria is moving to the next phase of development of her business and is excited for what the future holds! 💙 Read more about The End Matters here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eBeB5BvU If you feel inspired by Gloria’s story, contact us to see how we can support your business journey: 📞 0191 643 6409 📧 [email protected] 💻 businessfactorynt.co.uk

The start of a new year whilst trying to deal with the death of someone close brings a mix of emotions, and for children and young people this can be especially challenging.   “There is something about endings that are implied at New Year, like a need to reflect on the past, or let go of what was and embrace the new. New Year, like many other times that are recognised for celebration and cheer, can be especially difficult after the death of someone close, and associated with intense emotional pain. At Grief Encounter, what we remember is that even as time passes, we take our relationships with all those who have died with us into the New Year, reflecting and finding comfort from memories past, as we grow around our grief and face a new normal." comments Suzanne Turner-Jones, Grief Encounter CEO.    Ways that can help bereaved children and families as we approach this difficult time: 💜Acknowledging that Grief is Unique and that it’s OK to feel different from each other at these times.   💜 Encouraging bringing their memory into an occasion. Just to ‘Say their name’ can help open up the conversation to bring comfort. 💜 Take each day one at a time, even the New Year, to acknowledge feelings and think through ways to face the future.  💜 Share memories, tell stories, reflect and remember - looking back at photos or sharing special moments can bring comfort and joy. 💜 Recognising when emotions have been triggered that might be related grief, acknowledging how the children or young person might feel.  💜 Doing things that are caring and comforting for children and young people, including encouraging healthy routines. #grief #griefsupport #bereaved #bereavement #clinical #childrenandyoungpeople #newyear #newyear2024

It’s National Grief Awareness Week. Amid the festive run-up to Christmas, this can be a difficult time for some children and young people, as well as adults. Here are some useful tips for supporting bereaved children and adolescents in schools.   As we approach the festive season, let's take a moment to reflect on the often overlooked pain that children and young people may experience during this time. National Grief Awareness Week serves as a poignant reminder that grief knows no age, and the festive season can be particularly challenging for our younger generation.   🌟 This week, let’s raise awareness and support for the grieving hearts of children and young people. It's crucial to create a compassionate space where their emotions are acknowledged, and they feel heard and understood. Together, we can make a difference in their healing journey.   ✨ Ways to contribute, in addition to the ideas in the graphic: 1️⃣ Share resources: Compile and share helpful resources that guide parents, educators, and caregivers in supporting children through grief during the holiday season. 2️⃣ Open conversations: Break the silence around grief. Encourage open dialogues at home, in schools, and within our communities to normalise discussions about loss and provide a supportive environment. 3️⃣ Acts of kindness: Small gestures can make a big impact. Reach out to those who may be struggling, extend a helping hand, or simply lend a listening ear.   🎄 This Christmas, let's make a collective effort to bring warmth and understanding to the hearts and minds of grieving children and young people. In this way, we can make this festive season a little brighter for those who need it most.   #schoolleadership #childrensmentalhealth #schoolleaders #internationalschools

For grieving people, special days like Mother’s Day can be difficult, bringing feelings of grief to the surface for the whole family. Grief is dynamic and changes over time. Some years we may want to acknowledge the occasion, be with others, and share memories. Other years we may want to avoid it altogether, as it may feel too painful or complicated. And sometimes it may feel hard to determine what will feel right. Even though special days on the calendar can feel difficult, they also serve as important opportunities to check in with yourself and your family to see what makes sense for you this year. These days can be a time to remember the person who died and identify what support would feel welcome. In this blog we provide some tips to help support young people grieving the death of a mother, step mother or custodial caregiver in navigating Mother’s Day at school and at home. Please know that whatever a young person chooses for their Mother’s Day, there’s no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way way to approach Mother’s Day. https://lnkd.in/e2RvRScz

During times of grief, offering support to our loved ones is more valuable than ever. Here are three heartfelt ways to be there for someone experiencing loss: 1. Listen with empathy: Sometimes, the greatest comfort comes from simply being present and listening. Let your loved one express their feelings without judgment or interruption. Your attentive ear can provide immense solace. 2. Offer practical help: Grieving individuals may find it difficult to manage daily tasks. Extend a helping hand by cooking a meal, running errands, or offering childcare. These gestures of practical support can alleviate some of their burden during this challenging time. 3. Respect their pace: Grief is a deeply personal journey, and everyone copes differently. Be patient and understanding, allowing your loved one to grieve at their own pace. Avoid imposing timelines or expectations on their healing process. Instead, offer your unwavering support and companionship whenever they need it. Together, let's create a compassionate space where those experiencing grief feel supported, understood, and embraced.

When working in an area that is a taboo subject, like support for grief, in particular support for bereaved parents (Vilomah, Vi-lo-mah), it can be hard to find the right spaces to present your work to those who need it. Next weekend I had been due to have a stand displaying my Bereaved Parent Support Boxes and explanations and demonstrations of the practises of Grief Movement. Sadly the organiser has cancelled the event so I’m stuck looking for new avenues to get these products out into the world. Sadly many events arn’t comfortable with someone talking about death, grief and grief support. I understand child death makes people uncomfortable to think about but let’s be honest, how much worse is it for the parents effected by this that have no avenue for support because everyone is afraid to discuss this subject openly. Grief will affect everyone at one stage or another in life, the level of connection and support you can find in the early years of grief have a direct link as to how you manage to carry that burden moving on in life. Maybe it’s time I go against the tide and set up a bell tent in the corner of as many festival and events as I can get to. A “Breathing Space in Grief”©️tent or space. Somewhere to show up as you are in your grief and to be heard without judgement. I am open to ideas, and the tent of course ;) As in grief, so it is in work, if one thing you try doesn’t work, don’t worry, your tried, when your ready try again.

Navigating the loss of a loved one is incredibly challenging, especially for children. In our latest article, we share 7 compassionate ways to support your child through their grief. From honest conversations to maintaining routines, discover how you can provide the reassurance and stability they need. Read more to help your child heal. 💖 https://lnkd.in/ga44eX3j . . . . . #ParentingTips #GriefSupport #FamilyHealing #mindfamily