Bereavement resources for parents and school staff

Supporting Bereaved Children through the Coronavirus Pandemic

Losing someone close to us is never easy. But what do we do when someone passes away due to a virus that we don’t really understand? What do we do when we are not able to comfort each other as usual, or even attend funerals to say goodbye?

You are not alone. With the help of the supportive and knowledgeable ELSA Support community, we have gathered a whole selection of bereavement resources including, books, resources, websites and information to help those who have been through the unthinkable. To all of those who shared their experiences and suggestions, thank you. And to those who find themselves here, we hope you find something that will support you through this devastating time.

To support children, we also need to take care of ourselves. Whatever happens, there are always people to help and listen. As well as resources, books, activities and information, we have also included a list of helplines offering support for adults as well.

Books

Most of us are familiar with the 5 stages of grief – denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. But quite recently, a new stage of grief was introduced – ‘meaning’. During this time where meaning might be especially difficult to find, David Kessler’s ‘Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief’ might be a useful book to begin with. For free sample chapters and further information on the stages of grief visit the website.

Books for Carers

• Grief in Children: A Handbook for Adults

Books and Workbooks for Children

• Muddles, Puddles and Sunshine: Your activity book to help when someone has died (EY)
• The Memory Tree (EY)
• Badgers Parting Gifts (EY)
• Always and Forever (EY)
• Grandad’s Island (EY)
• When Dinosaurs Die: A guide to Understanding Death (KS1)
• Luna’s Red Hat: A Storybook to Help Children Cope with Loss and Suicide (KS1)
• The Invisible String (KS1)
• The Invisible String Workbook (KS1)
• Michael Rosen’s Sad Book (KS1)
• The Dragonfly Story (KS1)
• Vicky Angel (KS2)
• Bridge to Terabithia (KS2)
• When Someone Has a Very Serious Illness (KS2)
• When Someone Very Special Dies (KS2)
• When Dinosaurs Die (KS1-KS2)
• The Day the Sea Went Out and Never Came Back (EY-KS2)
• The Huge Bag of Worries   (EY -KS2)
• The Fox and the Star (All ages)
• The Invisible Leash (KS1/KS2)

ELSA Support Resources

We have a variety of resources available for download which you might find useful.

For School staff we recommend:

• this full GRIEF group intervention – HEALING STEPS

• this Bereavement and Loss Lapbook

Activity Ideas

We have a brand new FREE pack for you to download.

You can download the pack from here. Please click the link to download. Please note this is a zipped file because there are lots of things in it so you need to open on a laptop or computer. You can use a phone or a tablet but would need an app to open zips installed first. – Bereavement Support Pack

Websites, Charities and Helplines

• Jigsaw: Helpline and information.
• NSPCC: Helpline, information and activities for children
• The Compassionate Friends: Helpline, supporting adults after the death of a child.
• Grief Encounter: Information and helpline.
• Marie Curie: Helpline for terminal illness.
• Cruse Bereavement Care: Resources, information and helpline, supporting people who have been affected by the pandemic especially.
• Winston’s Wish: Information, books and resources for helping children with bereavement, including information and support on how to deal with current difficult issues, such as not being able to attend funerals.
• Barnardo’s: Child bereavement service
• British Heart Foundation: Practical guide on what needs to be done when someone dies.
• Lullaby Trust: Bereavement support after the passing of a baby or child
• Young Minds: Wealth of information including downloadable guides and links to further help.
• The Good Grief Trust: Bereavement support and information, as well as virtual support through a ‘virtual café’ via zoom.
• Mind: Mental health support during coronavirus and bereavement support.
• Give us a Shout: Text helpline.
• Samaritans: General listening support. 116 123

Websites for Children and Young People

• Childline: ‘Calm zone’ with activities and online games.
• Kooth: Online Counselling platform for children and young people
• Hope Again: The youth website of Cruse Bereavement Care.

Websites with Downloadable Resources

• Childhood Bereavement Network: Resources to support children during coronavirus
• Rowens Hospice: Downloadable PDF ‘Small Book of Big Conversations’
• Lions Life Skills: Resource packs for ages 3 – 16, with a free downloadable sample pack.
• Simon Says: General bereavement support, has a section with downloadable resources.
• Balloons Charity: Downloadable PDF’s with various information
• Nurture Uk: Free bereavement downloadable guide
• Dying Matters: A whole section with downloadable leaflets and information.

Join the ELSA Support Community

We hope that you have found something on this document that has helped. If you have any suggestions for further information, or if you would like to share your own personal experiences with any of the books or resources you use then please do. Additionally, if you want to talk to someone, ask for advice, or have a question we have a number of Facebook groups specifically for parents and for teachers.

ELSA Support and Wellbeing

Elsa Support Parent Group

Grief Cover image by John Hain from Pixabay