£1m boost to provide services for bereaved children and young people in Glasgow

A project to improve outcomes for bereaved children, young people and families in Glasgow has benefited from an injection of funding from the Big Lottery Fund. The £1 million will support three different bereavement organisations in Glasgow.

Child Bereavement UK, Richmond’s Hope, and The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice aim to plug the gaps that exist in support for bereaved children and young people in the area.

Child Bereavement UK has 22 years’ experience of supporting families and educating professionals when a baby or child of any age dies or is dying, or when a child is facing bereavement. The charity, which has trained over 1,700 professionals in Scotland over the past three years, will also work with professionals providing bereavement awareness training to help them better understand and meet the needs of the grieving children, young people and families with whom their work brings them into contact. Child Bereavement UK’s national helpline provides a vital service and currently receives over 2500 calls from families and professionals each year; it has been described as a ‘lifeline’ to those seeking guidance and a listening ear, often in distressing circumstances. The charity’s website is also a vital source of information and guidance for families and professionals.

Child Bereavement UK's new office in Maryhill will initially offer direct support to children, young people and their families as well as advice and guidance to schools and other professionals. Richard Stafford, Child Bereavement UK’s Director of Bereavement Sector Support, Scotland, said: “We are very grateful to the Big Lottery Fund for acknowledging the need for improved access to bereavement support in Glasgow. Child Bereavement UK is committed to working in collaboration to deliver first class, specialist support to children, young people and families, helping them to rebuild their lives after the devastation of bereavement. We will continue to share learnings and work together to ensure that families’ needs are being met across Glasgow”.

To find out about this new service in Glasow, contact: richard.stafford@childbereavementuk.org, or Glasgow Bereavement Service Lead, Karen Brown: karen.brown@childbereavementuk.org 07554 884532

www.childbereavementuk.org

National helpline: 0800 02 888 40