Support With Bereavement
As an academy we are trying to help our students through the process of loss. We are working with Winston's Wish, a charity that supports grieving children and young people after the death of someone important.
Winston's Wish has trained some of our staff and helped us to devise basic activities and exercises to help children remember those around them who have passed away. One of the activities we have done as an Academy is a memorial tree (pictured), where students have written letters to loved ones who have died, placing the letters in envelopes on the tree.
This work is also important before a possible referral to either St Christopher's or Living On for further support.
St Christopher's Candle Child Bereavement Service
The Candle Child Bereavement Service offers:
- one-to-one and group counselling for any child or young person in Bromley, Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham or Southwark experiencing loss through death
- specialist training, advice and consultancy services to schools and other organisations working with children facing bereavement
- an advice service for parents and professional carers.
To ensure they continue to offer support whilst keeping people safe and navigating the latter stages of the pandemic, they offer both face-to-face and telephone appointments. Any parent, carer, teacher or health care professional can make a referral and young people over 16 can refer themselves.
Living On
Living On is there to help you with conversations about a loss of a loved one, and to encourage children to ask the questions they may have. They look to discover ways and strategies for children to deal with their grief, adapt to the changes it may have brought to their lives and manage their difficult feelings.
They encourage children and young people to support each other. With the right support, bereaved children and young people can continue to reach their full potential and become resilient adults.
