End of Life Care | Bereavement care | Children and bereavement

Children and bereavement
Session overview
Description
The session explores grieving in children. It describes a range of ways in which health professionals and families can support children who are bereaved.

This session was reviewed by Jan Aldridge and Richard Kitchen and last updated in February 2022.

By the end of this session you will be able to:

• demonstrate an understanding of how children experience grief
• explore the qualities needed to work with grieving children and their families
• describe the impact of the developmental process on grieving in children
• identify ways to support children and their families

When a family member dies, the adults may be preoccupied both emotionally and practically. If there are children, the adults want to look after them and do their best for them but, at the same time, they may feel overwhelmed and out of their depth. Their first reaction may be to seek professional help for the child or children.

This session explores the processes of grief in children, enabling professionals to be more effective in offering support. It will outline ways in which families can be empowered to support their children. Professionals will be asked to reflect on what they and family members can do and when to refer on for specialist help.