Someone is not expected to live

When someone is not expected to live

When a parent, main carer, brother or sister or other special person is not expected to live, the prospect of communicating this to a child can be daunting, especially when you are upset or in shock yourself. Read more

When your child is not expected to live

Guidance for families who have been told that their child is not expected to live. Read more

When a parent is not expected to live

Guidance on telling a child that their parent or primary carer is not expected to live. Read more

Telling a child that their brother or sister is not expected to live

Guidance on telling a child that their sibling is not expected to live. Read more

Living funerals

A ‘living funeral’ (also known as a pre-funeral) is a celebration of someone’s life held while they are still alive. In most cases they are held for people who are not expected to live, whether due to illness or age. Read more

When someone is not expected to live: Death doulas or end-of-life doulas

An end-of-life doula (also known as a death doula or death midwife) is someone who can support an individual, and often their family, when they are near to the end of their life or from the time they learn they have a life-limiting illness. Read more

How we can support you

Child Bereavement UK helps children and young people (up to the age of 25), parents and families, to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies. Read more

Latest

What helps you when someone is unkind or jokes - Junior Youth Ambassadors
How can I support a child or young person when someone important to them has a serious illness?

Bereavement specialists share ways to support a child or young person when someone important to them has a serious illness.
What I wish my friends knew about grief - Junior Youth Ambassadors
Download our PSHE lessons on loss and bereavement

Download our free PSHE lessons and resources for schools on loss and bereavement for Key Stages 1-4. These have been developed by teachers and bereavement support workers.

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.
Explaining to a child that someone has died

Guidance on explaining to a child that someone has died.
Explaining death and dying to children

Guidance for teachers and parents on talking to children about death and dying,
Grieving for a child

No parent expects to face the death of their child. See our resource for support and guidance on grieving for a child.
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.
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.
Adults bereaved as children

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

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