uk child bereavement - presentation for scottish transitions forum 2014
DESCRIPTION
Gabrielle discussed the need to be aware of bereavement within and around transition services for children and young people and to support young people who may be experiencing this. Gabrielle discussed the vision of the UK Child Bereavement “Child Bereavement UK believes all families should have the support they need to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies. Our mission is to ensure the accessibility of high quality child bereavement support and information to all families an professionals, by increasing our reach, plugging the gaps that exist in bereavement support and training, and embedding standards in the sector.” Gabrielle went on to discuss some of the theory behind the process of bereavement and what professionals might need to be aware of in this process. Gabrielle left us with some key messages, which were: • Understanding, love and sensitivity • To be involved • Honesty • Information • Opportunity to express feelings • To revisit their grief as they become olderTRANSCRIPT
CBUK Vision
• Child Bereavement UK believes all families should have the support they need to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies. Our mission is to ensure the accessibility of high quality child bereavement support and information to all families and professionals, by increasing our reach, plugging the gaps that exist in bereavement support and training, and embedding standards in the sector.
The Education (Scotland) Act 2004 as amended in 2009
• Recognises bereavement as an additional support need and as such a potential barrier to learning
• Bereavement can be addressed within the legal framework of additional support for learning
• Let’s be creative with what “additional support” looks like
On average 12,000 children die in the UK every year
Death is a fact of life...
...and grief is a natural process.
But many people, adults and children, need more support and understanding in their grieving than they receive.
The consequences of unresolved grief can be dire.
A 2011 report in the BMJ even suggests bereaved parents may die younger.
www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/9242248.Grieving_parents_may_die_younger__new_study_shows/
The Education (Scotland) Act 2004 as amended in 2009
• Recognises bereavement as an additional support need and as such a potential barrier to learning
• Bereavement can be addressed within the legal framework of additional support for learning
• Let’s be creative with what “additional support” looks like
Getting bereavement support right
• GIRFEC is all about partnerships in culture, systems and practice
• Reactive to proactive• Bereavement support should be on service improvement
plans• Team agendas• Community Health Partnerships• Community Planning Partnerships• Integrated Children’s Service Plans• Continuing Professional Development
Personal, professional & interprofessional
• How much are we aware of our own internal relationships with loss and how this impacts upon external relationships personally, professionally and interprofessionally?
Child concern
Internal unaware
Internalaware Personal
Professional Presentation
Other professional
OtherProfessional
Definitions
• Loss – the experience of grief when something we are attached to is lost
• Bereavement – the experience of grief when someone we are attached to dies
• Trauma – an experience which was extremely frightening or shocking
Grief – psychological adjustment to loss
ShockDisbelief
Denial
Anger
Blame
Guilt
Deep Despair
Beginning to adjust
Living with loss/acceptance
Grief At the time Now Best Hope
Shock
Disbelief
Denial
Anger
Self blame
Blame others
Guilt
Sadness
Scale for grief
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Tasks of Mourning
• To accept the reality of the loss• To process the pain of grief• To adjust to a world without the deceased• To find an enduring connection with the
deceased in the midst of embarking on a new life
J William Worden (2009) 4th Edition, Springer New YorkJ William Worden
Factors affecting the grieving process
‘Recovery’environment
Relationship with person who died
Circumstances of death/dying
The individual, personality, background
Everyday Life Experience
Loss-oriented
Grief work
Intrusion of grief
Breaking bonds/ties
Denial/avoidance of restoration
changes
Restoration-oriented
Attending to life changes
Doing new things
Distraction from grief
Denial/avoidance of grief
New roles/identity/ relationship
A Dual Process Model of Coping with BereavementStroebe & Schut (1999)
Death Studies 23(3):197-224
What Good Provision for Bereaved Children Looks Like
Outreach/specialist support for those
who are vulnerable or traumatised
1:1 support andGroups for childrenAnd young people
Support for parents/carers to help their children
An easy to access assessment process to agree who and what could help a particular family
Information about how children grieve, what can help and what services there are
What can we do to help?
• Understanding, love and sensitivity• To be involved• Honesty• Information• Opportunity to express feelings• To revisit their grief as they become
older
Some Guiding Principles
• Young people need, want and deserve honesty, truth and choices.
• You can not “fix it” but can be a caring supporting adult willing to bear witness
• Grief is a normal, healthy, response to loss