Advice Archives

How to explain suicide to children and young people

12th May 2020 Advice

Telling a child someone they love has died is difficult enough, but explaining that they died by suicide can be even harder. Often adults don’t want to talk about suicide, but we know from our experience that it is better to tell a child or young person the truth in ...

Supporting children and young people after a sudden, violent or traumatic death

11th May 2020 Advice

When someone in your life dies, feelings of grief can be overwhelming. These feelings may be even more difficult to handle if the death is traumatic, sudden or violent. There are many types of traumatic death – it could be through an accident, illness, terrorism, murder, manslaughter or suicide. Is grief after a ...

A calendar page with lots of family entries. Mummy's birthday is circled.

Ways to cope with anniversaries, birthdays and special days when you have been bereaved

6th May 2020 Advice

In the immediate aftermath of the death of someone important you will have many emotions and these can often resurface on special dates such as anniversaries and birthdays. How do you manage those days? Is it ok to remember? Is it ok to avoid remembering on that day? What can ...

Young brother and sister sharing tablet device.

What do children and young people understand about death?

27th April 2020 Advice

How much children understand about death will be different at different ages and stages of development. These are the most common understandings of death by children of different ages but remember that all children are special and unique and therefore, they will respond to and understand death in their own ...

Should children view the body of a loved one?

23rd April 2020 Advice

The decision to view the body of a loved one who has died is a very personal choice for adults, and it is the same for children. The important thing is that a child or young person is given the choice and that this is an informed choice – they ...

Should I tell my children that their loved one is dying?

22nd April 2020 Advice

When a parent, grandparent brother or sister is seriously ill, whether they have cancer or another illness, there may come a point when you know that they may not survive. This will be a dreadful realisation for you to come to terms with, and you will be faced with the ...

Dad using laptop with son watching on and daughter using tablet device.

Do children grieve differently to adults?

14th April 2020 Advice

Although they will feel it just as deeply, children will experience and express grief in different ways to adults. The way children grieve will mostly depend on their age and understanding of death as well as their ability to talk about their thoughts and feelings. This can often make their reactions ...

Remembering a loved one on special days: How to make an indoor memory garden

9th April 2020 Advice

Give focus to your celebration by creating an Indoor Memory Garden. We know that celebrations and festivals, like Easter, are of course times of fun but when someone is missing from that celebration there can be an underlying feeling of sadness. Remembering loved ones at the time of celebrations and festivals can ...

Mother talking with daughter on the sofa

Talking to children and young people about suicide in the news

19th February 2020 Advice

It is a sad fact that suicide rates are tragically on the rise in the UK. Stories are regularly reported in the media, widely communicated in person and across social media, resulting in exposure to sometimes quite distressing reports. When these sorts of events hit the news, it’s important to think ...

Small girl sat on the floor looking sad while her mum strokes her hair

Should children attend a funeral?

3rd February 2020 Advice

Some families believe that children should not attend a funeral. However, it can help them to begin to accept the reality of the death and also to be less scared. Children are usually more scared about what they don’t know than what they are allowed to be part of as ...

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