Child Bereavement UK has launched a new service in Birmingham providing support for bereaved children, young people, parents, and families in the city. 

Based in West Heath, the service has benefited from funding from the National Lottery Community Fund to offer online, face-to-face and group support for individuals, couples and families in Birmingham, while families across the Midlands will be offered support via Child Bereavement UK’s Helpline and other support services. The charity will also work in community centres and schools in the local area, providing guidance and signposting.

In addition, the charity will work alongside existing support services in the area to help improve outcomes for bereaved families, providing training for professionals to ensure bereaved people are well supported wherever they first seek support.

Child Bereavement UK helps families to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies. The charity supports children and young people (up to the age of 25) when someone important to them has died or is not expected to live, and parents and the wider family when a baby or child of any age dies or is dying. The charity also provides training to professionals in health and social care, education, and the voluntary and corporate sectors, equipping them to provide the best possible care to bereaved families.

Child Bereavement UK, which this year marks its 30th anniversary, has services at various locations across the United Kingdom offering face-to-face and online bereavement support. The charity’s Helpline provides support via telephone, email and LiveChat, and has been described as a ‘lifeline’ to those seeking guidance and a confidential listening ear, often in difficult or distressing circumstances. The charity’s website is also a vital source of information and guidance for families and professionals.

Maninder Hayre, Director of Services and Partnerships for Child Bereavement UK, said:

We are pleased to launch this new service in  Birmingham and are very grateful to the National Lottery Community Fund for its generous support, which has helped to make this service possible. We are looking forward to working in collaboration with the community and local organisations to deliver first class, specialist support to children, young people, parents and families, helping them to rebuild their lives after the devastation of bereavement. We will continue to share learnings and work together to ensure that families’ needs are being met across the area.

To find out about this new service contact: [email protected]

Helpline: 0800 02 888 40

www.childbereavementuk.org