New roadmap to help schools support children through bereavement in Northern Ireland
A new Palliative Care and Bereavement in Schools Roadmap aims to help schools strengthen their support for children and young people affected by grief and bereavement.
Developed through collaboration between the Northern Health and Social Care Trust, the Education Authority and community and voluntary sector partners that form the Northern Trust Compassionate Schools Working Group, the roadmap provides practical guidance, resources and signposting information.
The resource has been designed to help develop compassionate school communities where conversations about palliative care, dying, death and bereavement can be approached with greater confidence and understanding.
Speaking at a recent launch event held at Rainey Endowed School in Magherafelt, Northern Trust Assistant Director, Alison Campbell-Smyth, said: “As a society, there is a need to normalise conversations about grief and bereavement. Grief and loss are experiences that will affect us all at some point in our lives, and for many people, their first encounter with bereavement happens during their school years.
“Research shows that bereaved children are at increased risk of experiencing psychological, physical, emotional, social and educational challenges compared with their peers."
This Roadmap has been developed through strong partnership working and brings together practical guidance, resources and signposting information in one place. We hope it will become a valuable resource for schools, helping staff feel more confident in supporting children and young people and ensuring families can access the help they need when facing bereavement."
Mark McCullough, Principal of Rainey Endowed School, said:
“Our school community was delighted to host the launch of the Supporting Palliative Care and Bereavement in Schools Roadmap."
“At Rainey, we are proud to be a caring and compassionate community. Through the work of our Bereavement Coordinator, Ms Joanne Campbell, we are continuing to develop the information and support available to pupils, staff and parents affected by bereavement."
“The event highlighted the value of working together and marked a positive step towards strengthening compassionate support in schools. We look forward to building on these connections and developing this important initiative further.”
On the day, Ingrid, a pupil from Regent House, spoke movingly about her experience of loss and grief, and how she now leads her school’s Bereavement Support Team.
Christine Irvine, Senior Policy Manager with Marie Curie, also retired teacher and service user, Sharon Stewart, shared valuable insights on the importance of supporting children and young people through experiences of bereavement and loss.
The Northern Trust Compassionate Schools Working Group hopes the roadmap will become a trusted point of reference for school staff, bringing together guidance, tools and practical materials to help educational settings develop compassionate approaches to bereavement and strengthen the wellbeing of children and young people.
Research highlighted through the Marie Curie Compassionate Schools
Communities programme shows that bereaved children and young people
can face increased emotional, psychological, social, physical and educational
challenges.
The research also identified a desire among teachers for more guidance and
information to help them feel confident supporting bereaved pupils, while
parents, guardians and young people themselves expressed support for
schools having a greater role in providing bereavement support.
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