When someone is not expected to live (pre-bereavement)

	As Big as it Gets Julie Stokes and Diana Crossley This booklet aims to help families cope with the serious illness of a parent or child. It provides a range of ideas for parents and carers so that they may feel more able to explain to their children what is happening. The booklet also includes some suggestions about what parents might say to children and how to offer support. Buy from Winston's Wish
	Dancing At The Pity Party Tyler Feder Part poignant cancer memoir and part humorous reflection on a motherless life, this debut graphic novel is extraordinarily comforting and engaging. From before her mother's first oncology appointment through the stages of her cancer to the funeral, sitting shiva, and afterward, when she must try to make sense of her life as a motherless daughter, Tyler Feder tells her story in this graphic novel that is full of piercing-but also often funny-details. She shares the important post-death firsts, such as celebrating holidays without her mom, the utter despair of cleaning out her mom's closet, ending old traditions and starting new ones, and the sting of having the "I've got to tell Mom about this" instinct and not being able to act on it. This memoir, bracingly candid and sweetly humorous, is for anyone struggling with loss who just wants someone to get it. Buy from Amazon
	My Parent Has Cancer and it Really Sucks Marc and Maya Silver This book provides real-life advice from real-life teens designed to help teens live with a parent who is fighting cancer. This book gives practical guidance that includes: How to talk about the diagnosis (and what does diagnosis even mean, anyway?) The best outlets for stress (punching a wall is not a great one, but should it happen, there are instructions for a patch job) How to deal with friends (especially one the ones with 'pity eyes') Whether to tell the teachers and what they should know (how not to get embarrassed in class) What happens in a therapy session and how to find a support group if you want one. Buy from Amazon
	When your Mum or Dad has cancer Ann Couldrick and Graham Jeffrey A short book for younger children (7+) to teenage children. It has an introduction for parents but then explains cancer in a simple way children can relate to. It also covers many questions children ask, such as will the person die and what exactly happens, but tackles the answers with insight and honesty. Buy from Child Bereavement UK

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Supporting bereaved children and young people

Children and young people grieve just as much as adults but they can show it in different ways. Find out how you can help them and more about child grieving.
Children's understanding of death at different ages

Guidance on children's understanding of death at different ages and stages of development.
Grieving for a child of any age

The agony of losing a child of any age is unparalleled. There is no age or point in time that makes it any easier. No parent expects to face the death of their child and no grandparent expects to lose their grandchild.
When a grandparent dies

The death of a grandparent is often a child or young person’s first encounter with the death of someone important. Parents have a great deal to manage when their own parent or carer dies. There is the grief associated with their own loss, but also the reactions and responses of their children to the death of a grandparent.
Child Bereavement UK training

Child Bereavement UK designs and delivers training for professionals in health and social care, education, the emergency services and the voluntary and corporate sectors, equipping them to provide the best possible care to bereaved families.
Contact us

Contact details for our Helpline, departments and services.
When your baby dies

When a baby lives only a short time or dies before birth due to miscarriage, stillbirth or a painful decision to end the pregnancy, people may assume that the loss is not important. This is simply not the case.
Explaining death and dying to children

Guidance for teachers and parents on talking to children about death and dying,
UK death & bereavement statistics

A parent of children under 18 dies every 20 minutes in the UK; around 26,900 a year.
For adults bereaved as children

How being bereaved as a child can affect your life as an adult and where you can find support.