It is not unusual for us to see children in clinic with non-specific ailments who have been bereaved and are still trying to come to terms with their loss, sometimes years later. I am sure it is not uncommon in General Practice either. Whenever a child dies at my hospital I worry about how the siblings are going to feel. Children experience death differently according to their age and stage. There is some good advice on “Explaining death to children” and some other useful links at www.bbc.co.uk/health/emotional_health/bereavement/bereavement_childtalk.shtml. www.childbereavement.org.uk/For/ForBereavedFamilies/SuggestedReadingandResources lists some very helpful reading material for all ages of bereaved people.
This month I have been across to the Margaret Centre at Whipps where our Psychological Support Service (PSS) is, to try and get a clearer idea of what sort of support there is in Waltham Forest for bereaved children and their families.
The Zig Zag Children’s Service accepts referrals from health professionals of children aged 3-11 in Waltham Forest with pre- and post-bereavement difficulties. This would include children with a life-limiting illness themselves or those with a family member with a life-limiting illness as well as those who have been bereaved. There is also a service for bereaved young people (11-17yr olds) and adults. Contact the PSS on 0208 539 5592 or by post at The Margaret Centre, Whipps Cross Hospital, Whipps Cross Road, E11 1NR for further information.
They do not offer crisis counselling but there is no stipulated amount of time a family or individual has to wait before being offered an appointment. In the ED we refer the family of a child who has died under our care to this service straight away, a letter is then sent to them suggesting that they ask their GP for a referral if they wish to make use of the child bereavement service. You can download their referral forms here:
Referral form for adults and children
Extra, additional referral form for a child (3-11yrs)
Additional referral form for young person aged 12-17 years
You may be reading this from outside our region. Nationally I can recommend the Child Bereavement Trust which is a UK charity supporting families when a child dies or is bereaved. It also trains health professionals to deal with the effect that a bereavement has on a family and indeed on us, the health professionals. http://www.bereavement.org.uk/home/html_index.asp?p=222 seems to have information on other bereavement services in London. Do leave a comment below if you want to recommend any other services you are aware of.
Some of the Zig Zag staff have added comments below which I think all of us who come across bereaved families will find helpful.