Winston’s Wish is pleased to announce that it is one of the Steering Group Members for the newly established All-Party Parliamentary Group for Grief Support and Its Impact on Society, with national bereavement signposting charity AtaLoss acting as Secretariat.
Along with a selection of other charities in the bereavement sector, Winston’s Wish will be part of the APPG Steering Group and will provide a voice on the impact of death and bereavement on children and young people.
Officially inaugurated in March 2025, the APPG will seek to keep the wider theme of bereavement and its impact on people throughout the UK as a current topic and agenda in Parliament. Winston’s Wish will offer commentary on the situation of countless bereaved young people in the UK.
As shared on the AtaLoss website, the APPG seeks to prioritise the following:
- Commissioning research into the economic and social implications of unsupported bereavement, including the ongoing impact of adults bereaved as children, mental health, relationship breakdown, homelessness, substance abuse and crime – and advocating for investment in bereavement services as prevention.
- Advocating for routine referral to comprehensive and central signposting, for holistic, all-life support.
- Bereavement support in schools – in absence, exams and for teacher training.
- Take forward the call for all employers to have a bereavement policy including parental bereavement leave.
- Investment in bereavement services as called for by the UK Commission on Bereavement.
We are a keen champion of highlighting the impact of childhood bereavement and empowering youth voices to share their living experiences of growing up grieving.
Fergus Crow, CEO of Winston’s Wish
Fergus went on to say: “It is important to us to support the APPG’s wider activities as the collective group works to keep the themes of bereavement and grief at the forefront of policymakers’ agendas and discussions. We look forward to working with the APPG and other sector members in the Steering Group to support the activities and to keep the wider bereavement conversation open.”
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Winston’s Wish vision is to ensure no bereaved child or young person grieves alone.
We believe in the power of research to improve our understanding of grief and enhance our support services.
Last year, Winston’s Wish reached and supported 82,079 grieving children and young people through our range of online services, including our free phone helpline, email and live chat services.