Cruse Bereavement care there to help you cope
CRUSE Bereavement Care is there to support you after the death of someone close.
Face-to-face and group support is delivered by trained bereavement support volunteers across the UK.
Cruse also offers information, publications and support for children.
Bereavement support for young people
Many children and young people experience the death of a parent, caregiver, sibling or grandparent.
Even very young children can be deeply affected by the death of someone close.
Children and young people react differently depending on their age and understanding but all should be supported to understand and express grief.
Children and young people often revisit the death and review their emotions and feelings about their bereavement as they move through their stages of development.
Children and young people do not have the emotional capacity to focus on their grief for long periods of time and therefore it is not uncommon for grieving children and young people to become distracted by play.
This is a protective mechanism which allows the child or young person to be temporarily diverted from the bereavement.
Bereaved children and young people need time to grieve and in order for them to address the bereavement they need to be given the facts regarding the death in language appropriate to their age or level of comprehension.
Avoid using metaphors for death such as, “Daddy has gone to sleep”, this will make the child or young person believe that Daddy will come back to them and may constantly ask when he is going to wake up.
Similarly the child or young person might encounter problems with bedtime and not wanting to sleep for fear of not waking up.
Supporting families in the Armed Forces
Cruse can provide information and support to military families following bereavement, including practical information and dealing with the media and what support the bereaved can expect from the Armed Forces following a death in service.
Cruse is expanding its work with the Military Family, following an award of over half a million pounds by the Ministry of Defence.
Contact Cruse
Cruse Bereavement Care Wales’ vision is that all bereaved people have somewhere to turn when someone dies.
Its areas and branches offer free and confidential services provided by trained volunteers. Cruse areas: Cardiff and the Vale Gwent Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taf Morgannwg branch Powys West Wales and North Wales If someone you know has died and you need to talk, call 0808 808 1677.