Supporting children with bereavement

<p>Jemma is a Bereavement Support Practitioner at Winston’s Wish for their online and helpline services; providing advice, support and guidance to young people, parents and caregivers as well as professionals. We had a really interesting chat with Jemma about the services that Winston’s Wish provide, but also about how to communicate with children about death and how we grow around grief.&nbsp;</p><p>Claire also shared her own personal story, supporting a family who are very close to her following the death of a parent.&nbsp;</p><br><p>We talked about:&nbsp;</p><ul><li>The key messages when someone calls the Winston’s Wish helpline.&nbsp;</li><li>That it’s OK not to feel sad and not to cry when someone dies.&nbsp;</li><li>Whether you can make things worse by talking with family and friends about death and dying (you can’t!).&nbsp;</li><li>Taking children’s lead in these situations and being as open and honest with them as possible.&nbsp;</li><li>Communication around bereavement with much younger children.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>The death of the Queen and what impact this had.&nbsp;</li><li>What happens after someone has died and what support is good to offer while life inevitably moves on – how to continue to remember and honour the person who has died.&nbsp;</li><li>Where the name ‘Winston’s Wish’ came from!&nbsp;</li><li>3 key things to be aware of when someone dies.&nbsp;</li></ul><p><br></p><p><a href="https://www.winstonswish.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Winston’s Wish Website</strong></a>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Helpline number: 08088 020 021</strong></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/bespokefamily/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Instagram </strong>- @bespokefamily</a> / <a href="https://www.instagram.com/winstonswish/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@winstonswish</a>&nbsp;</p><p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Bespoke-Family-247449005951650/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Facebook</strong> - @bespokefamily</a