Aid for families facing tragedy

Buckinghamshire based charity, Child Bereavement UK, is offering bereavement support to local families through monthly drop-in sessions at Children’s Centres across the town.

Child Bereavement UK supports families when a baby or child of any age dies or is dying, or when a child is facing bereavement.

The charity also trains professionals such as teachers and nurses, helping them better understand and meet the needs of grieving families in their working life.

The drop-in sessions are open to parents, carers or anyone supporting a bereaved child, as well as parents who have been bereaved of a child.

A Child Bereavement UK Bereavement Support Practitioner will be on hand at each session to offer information and guidance.

A need for more localised support in the Aylesbury area was recognised due to the number of referrals received by the charity, which also operates direct services in Milton Keynes and Saunderton.

Gillian Harrison, Buckinghamshire Bereavement Services Team Lead for Child Bereavement UK said: “Last year we provided face-to-face support to 37 bereaved children, young people and their parents in Aylesbury. In the feedback we received, many families described the support they had received as a lifeline. Once we had identified this need for bereavement support we wanted to be able to extend our services to reach out to many more families seeking support and information after the devastation of child bereavement.”

The drop-in service in Aylesbury has been made possible via a grant from the Peter Harrison Foundation. Support to Aylesbury families is also provided by a grant from the William Harding’s Charity.

For more information or to book an appointment visit http://childbereavementuk.org/support. Call the support and information line on 0800 02 888 40 if you would like to speak to someone sooner.