Study shows need for bereavement support

Thursday 22 October 2009

Planning to meet the needs of bereaved children and young people has long been hampered by a lack of statistics. New research from NCB, conducted on behalf of the Childhood Bereavement Network (CBN), has found that 3.5 per cent (one in 29) of five- to 16-year-olds have been bereaved of a parent or sibling - roughly one per school classroom - and 6.3 per cent (one in 16) have experienced the death of a close friend.

The research took a closer look at data from the Mental Health of Children and Young People in Great Britain 2004 study, published by the Office for National Statistics in 2005. It reveals that children who have faced the death of a parent, sibling or friend are more likely than their peers to have gone through other stressful events in their lives, such as serious illness or having a parent with a financial crisis or mental illness. Bereaved children were also more likely to have changed schools or been excluded at some point in their past.

The findings demonstrate the need for local services to work together to ensure the bereavement support needs of children experiencing other difficulties are addressed. Support both in and out of school is key to this. This autumn, CBN is launching a call to action for local authorities and primary care trusts (PCTs) to improve support for bereaved children, no matter where they live or how they've been bereaved.

Local authorities and PCTs need to know how many children in their area are affected and what their needs are. They need to commission services to work together to meet those diverse needs, including information and support for
parents, one-to-one and group support for children, as well as outreach and specialist support for the most vulnerable and traumatised. This will help to improve the life chances of this most vulnerable group.

More from NCB: Visit The Child Bereavement Network website