Support for children

“I talked about my Dad to my friends at school, and showed them the memory box I’d made” Sam, aged 6, whose Dad died. “Sam is more confident to go to school now and things are calmer at home since going to the FiG group” Sam’s Mum, Barnstaple.

All children and young people need information, reassurance, and to know that they can trust you.  Be open to their questions, and offer reassurance and support when needed. This can be daunting and difficult to navigate and so do please remember to contact us here at Families in Grief if you need extra support.

Here is a breakdown of the support we offer:

Support for pre-school children (Age 0-6 years old)

We offer advice over the phone to support families with bereaved pre-school age children.  The FiG office number is 01237 479027 (Mon to Fri) or you can contact us here.

Our free, downloadable guide for parents and carers may also be useful.  Find out more.

Support for children at primary school (Age 6-11)

We offer support through our Children’s Group, a support group which runs over six weekly sessions usually in Barnstaple or Bideford. The sessions take place after school and last for an hour and a half. During the sessions children are given arts and craft activities as well as physical activities to explore their feelings about their bereavement. The parents/carers of the young people have their own support group in a room nearby. Together they share their experiences and feel less alone.

If you and your children would like to take part in the Children’s Group please contact us here.

If you are a parent needing help and support for your children right now, please read our free, downloadable Guide for Parents and Carers.

Children’s Group – A support group for both you and your child

The ‘Children’s Group’ programme is made up of creative and physical activities to help your child come to terms with the death of their parent, relative or friend. Each week the child is encouraged to take part in creative activities, they are also read a story to help them to understand the weekly topic.  The programme looks like this:

Week 1: Beginnings

Week 2: Memories

Week 3: Memories

Week 4: Emotions

Week 5: Rituals/ Celebrating Special Days

Week 6: Saying Goodbye

The children often look forward to coming to the sessions and enjoy showing their parents what they have made each week once the session ends. We find that this in turn really helps to improve family relationships because it encourages more conversations between family members about the person who has died. We can assure you that your child will be really well looked after by our amazing staff and volunteers.