Children's Grief Awareness Week 2023
This week we have been highlighting the fantastic work done by our Children's Bereavement Groups here at the hospice and sharing ways young people facing bereavement can be supported.
Jill, our Children's Bereavement Coordinator, told us:
"One of the ways you can support a child is by acknowledging the young person’s loss. People sometimes try to hide away from addressing the fact that someone has died, thinking that they will say the “wrong thing,” or not knowing what to say or even being afraid of death themselves. Please rest assured that by acknowledging the loss for the child, you are giving permission for them to be able to open up and speak about their loved person. A simple “sorry” or “How are you?” and that you yourself feel sad, shocked or in disbelief (or whatever emotion you may be experiencing) or that you don’t really know what to say to help but want them to know you are there for them, can go a long way in supporting that young person to open up regarding their feelings and thoughts.