The Big Hug ...restore a child's lost hope

Bereavement can be devastating, particularly when it happens to young children who are still trying to find their place in the world. 

It is, furthermore, a sad fact that one in 29 children aged 5 - 16 in the UK has been bereaved of a parent or sibling, and one in 16 has lost a close friend. 

Grief can have a serious impact on the lives of these young people - bereaved children are, for example, 60% more likely to contract a serious illness that results in hospitalisation - and Cruse Bereavement Care exists to provide the support that can help them cope with their loss. 

To find out more about how grief can affect children, please click the link below, or to help us continue our vital care for this vulnerable population click on the 'donate' button or check out or winter challenge below.  

Children grieving are more likely to…

• have a diagnosed mental illness
• be excluded from school
• be more susceptible to bullying
• feel isolated, angry and  fearful
• make frequent visits to the GP
• have low self-esteem
• have to deal with a major change in family circumstances and location
• have a death wish

Supporting bereaved children is so vital because it...

• affords the young person opportunities to explore thoughts and feelings about the death in a safe, supportive environment
• challenges a child's negative thinking and counters issues of self blame
• encourages them to understand that there are positive coping mechanisms they can use
• enables them to recognise, understand and manage their grief
• presents the potential for a positive reality
• equips the child to reinvest in the world

Cruse provides...

• individual face-to-face support
• group support
• email support
• a dedicated free-phone helpline for children: 0808 808 1677
• interactive & informative website www.rd4u.org.uk
• specialist disaster response and crisis intervention
• informative publications and literature
• bespoke training and consultancy for those supporting bereaved children and young people

• provide more specialist bereavement volunteers to support bereaved children
• enable more young people to re-cognise and manage their grief
• increase our capacity to support bereaved children throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland
• reduce the volume of GP appointments
• reduce anti-social behaviour
• enable bereaved children to achieve more academically
• support more children to re-engage with the world and create a happier, healthier young population