Charter for Bereavement Support Services

Our charter

This Charter provides our statement of how Child Bereavement UK aims to support bereaved individuals, couples and families who come to us for support.

The support we provide will uphold our vision for all families to have the support they need to rebuild their lives, when a child grieves or when a child dies.

The support we offer will be provided in line with our values:

Integrity: We place the needs of bereaved families at the heart of everything we do. Our work is based on listening to and learning from the lived experience of the families and professionals with whom we work. We respect everyone’s experience. Confidentiality, discretion and consent are of the utmost importance in our work.

Inclusiveness: We are inclusive of, and respectful to, all our stakeholders, including beneficiaries, supporters, volunteers, and colleagues, in our attitudes, behaviours and activities. We aim to use accessible language and to be open and unbiased. We welcome and respect everyone and advocate for equity, diversity and inclusion across all areas of our work.

Quality: We strive for the highest standards of excellence and professionalism in all aspects of our work. We continually assess, review and improve our systems, processes and impact.

Collaboration: We are committed to a culture of teamwork and collaboration, working in partnership with other organisations to improve child bereavement support.

Our Bereavement Support Service aims to:

Respond to your initial contact with us within the quickest timeframe possible.
Offer you an initial appointment within 6 weeks from referral.
Allocate a dedicated bereavement support practitioner for the duration of your support, where possible.
Ensure that the support you receive will be confidential (unless we are concerned for your safety or that of another).
Offer comprehensive support by liaising, with your permission, with other agencies where appropriate, such as schools, GPs etc.
Signpost you to the services of other organisations if we feel they might be able to support part of your bereavement journey.
Offer up to 8 sessions over a maximum period of 13 months, tailored to individual need.
Positively support inclusion of and engagement with families and individuals of any gender or gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, disability, race, religion, faith, belief or sexual orientation.
Ensure accessibility for all by offering interpreters for referrals or bereavement support sessions where needed.
Seek your feedback in order to evaluate and continually improve the quality and impact of the service we provide.

January 2024

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