Other Contacts (CYP):
Loss and Grief

The resources are suggestions only and you can choose the most suitable materials for you. Most of these are free resources but you might have to pay a small amount for some (e.g., apps and books).

Emergency Support for Children and Young People (Under 18s)

For urgent calls, for those who are experiencing a mental health crisis contact the Rise Crisis team on 08081 966798 (select Option 2) This freephone line is available 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, but with an advice-only service outside the core hours of 8am-8pm. If you feel that it would be helpful to talk to somebody about how you or the person you are supporting are feeling, you can also call one of these helplines.

  • Samaritans: 116 123
  • Childline 0800 1111
  • If you need further mental health support, you can visit their/your GP.

National Support

You may find the following organisations useful. We have checked the websites but please note that they may not be completely up to date.

Winston's Wish

Winston's Wish supports children who have experienced a death. They have information for young people and advice for how to support a bereaved child or young person. The site also has a toolkit to help young people to think about what they can do after bereavement as well as support for families coping with a serious illness.

Website: www.winstonswish.org

Coping with a serious illness: www.winstonswish.org.uk/serious-illness

Childline

Childline offers support for children and young people who are struggling with a range of difficulties. It includes an "Ask Sam" facility where you can ask questions that you might not want to ask others. You can also speak to someone one to one, access message boards, or email someone for support. They have useful information about why people feel depressed, signs and symptoms, and how it can affect young people.

Website: www.childline.org.uk/get-support

When Someone Dies: www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/your-feelings/feelings-emotions/when-someone-dies

Child Bereavement UK

Child Bereavement UK has a helpline to support families, either when a child or baby dies or when a child is facing bereavement.

Helpline: 0800 0288840

Supporting bereaved children: www.childbereavementuk.org/supporting-bereaved-children-and-young-people

Supporting bereaved young people: www.childbereavementuk.org/Listing/Category/support-for-young-people

Health for Kids

Health for Kids has a paper lantern activity that can be used with a child to help with their feelings after a loss. Write feelings or memories on the lantern and watch them float away. You could do this once or repeat it many times.

Website: www.healthforkids.co.uk/game/lanterns

Kids Health

Kids Health offers advice to parents and carers about how you can help children and young people through this change.

Website: kidshealth.org/en/parents/death.html

Macmillan

Macmillan has advice about making a memory box and preparing children for the death of a loved one.

Website: www.macmillan.org.uk/information-and-support/coping/advanced-cancer/relationships/making-a-memory-box.html

Saying Goodbye

Saying Goodbye services are non-religious services to mark the loss of a baby, before or after birth. They can be attended at any time after the death. This can be important to children who have lost a sibling but may have been too young to attend a funeral or the sibling died before birth. That sort of loss can be very difficult for children to understand.

Website: www.sayinggoodbye.org

Young Minds

Young Minds can help young people to find the right type of support for dealing with grief and loss.

Website: www.youngminds.org.uk/young-person/my-feelings/grief-and-loss

The Mix

The Mix is a support service for young people under 25 offering free confidential advice over the phone. You can also contact them via a live chat on their website. Phone lines and chat are open 3pm - 12am every day.

Telephone: 0808 808 4994

Website: www.themix.org.uk

Crisis Messenger: 85258

Email: www.themix.org.uk/get-support/speak-to-our-team/email-us

Get Support: www.themix.org.uk/get-support

Video and Audio

You may find the videos/podcasts below useful. Podcasts can be downloaded using the podcast app on smartphones. In some cases there may be costs involved, so before you purchase make sure that you check for costs and ensure the podcast is suitable for you. Please note: these have been produced by external organisations and may feature adverts, over which we have no control and would therefore advise that you watch the videos first without your child to check that any adverts are age appropriate.

SENDCast

SENDCast, the podcast for Special Educational Needs (SEN), has podcasts on a variety of subjects to support children and young people including one about grieving for a family pet.

Podcast: https://www.thesendcast.com/episodes/grieving-for-a-family-pet

YouTube

YouTube videos have been created by children about their feelings after the loss of a loved one.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists

The Royal College of Psychiatrists has a short animated video for young people about grief.

Website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8t_HnCgN1w

TED-Ed

TED-Ed has an animated video on grief.

Website: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-is-grief-and-how-do-you-deal-with-it-k-j-d-m-a-a

MIND

MIND has a video for young people about how to cope with grief and loss.

Website: www.mind.org.uk/information-support/your-stories/v/understanding-and-coping-with-grief-and-loss

Apps

You may find these apps useful, which you can download from your app store. Please note that there are costs involved to download some of these apps. Before you purchase, make sure that you check that the app is suitable for you and you are aware of the costs.

Smiling Mind

Smiling Mind is a mindfulness app for children and young people. There is a whole section for young people and parents, with programmes to help manage stress and anxiety.

Calm

Calm is a great app for mindfulness and meditation with a wide range of content for sleep, meditation, and music. Please note that there are costs involved with this app.

Aura

Aura is a mindfulness app that offers personalised mindfulness meditations for stress and anxiety. Please note that there are costs involved with this app.

The Grief App

The Grief App helps you to understand your emotions and guides you through the process of grief. Please note that there are costs involved with this app.

Reading

Below are some links for further reading which you may find useful. These links are not the only place where you can find these books, but they do include reviews so please read them to help you decide if they will be useful to you. You may also find these books in libraries, online, or in second-hand bookstores.

Reading Well

Reading Well has books that are recommended by health experts, as well as people with lived experience of the conditions.

Website: reading-well.org.uk

The Invisible String

By Patrice Karst. The book tells the story of an invisible string that connects people who love each other, even when they are apart.

Is Daddy Coming Back?

By Judith Vigna. This book is about two children who learn to live with the loss of their father after he dies in a car accident.

I Miss My Pet: A First Look at Death

By Pat Thomas. This book is a good way to introduce the topic of death to young children who have lost a pet.

Waterbugs and Dragonflies: Explaining Death to Children

By Doris Stickney. This book uses a fable to explain death to young children. It is a good way to introduce the topic of death and is useful for adults to read as well.

When Dinosaurs Die: A Guide to Understanding Death

By Laurie Krasny Brown and Marc Brown. This book explains death in a simple, straightforward way for children. It covers a range of topics, including the feelings associated with death, funerals, and how to remember a loved one.

Healing a Child's Grieving Heart: 100 Practical Ideas for Families, Friends and Caregivers

By Alan Wolfelt. This book provides a practical guide for adults who want to help a grieving child. It offers 100 ideas for activities and conversations that can help children to heal.

Helping Children Cope with Grief

By Rosemary Wells. This book helps children to understand and cope with grief. It is a good resource for parents and carers.

The Grief Survival Guide

By Jeffrey Russell. This book is a practical guide to grief, with tips on how to cope with loss and how to help a grieving friend or family member.