Winston’s Wish has officially partnered with Olive Academies, a pioneering multi-academy trust, specialising in alternative learning provision supporting 7-16-year-olds who are unable to attend mainstream schools to reach their full potential. 

After identifying that 19% of academy students have experienced bereavement, with a significant proportion bereaved by acts of domestic violence, the partnership will see Winston’s Wish deliver specialist training for staff supporting bereaved pupils and offer direct support for students through the charities innovative digital bereavement services.  

Our partnership with Olive Academies provides specialist training support to students and teachers who are either going through bereavement or supporting those that are. It is an honour to be working with such a proactive organisation whose aim is that every child and young person has the right to learn and achieve.

 

Fergus Crow, CEO of Winston’s Wish

Helena Boast at Olive Academies, said: “The specialist work of Winston’s Wish directly impacts so many of our pupils experiencing bereavement and grief, helping them to move on with their lives and thrive. 

“Providing access to professional child-centred bereavement support, information and resources through this partnership is a wonderful addition to the high-quality pastoral care already in place across our academies. I am delighted to be able to offer this service to our pupils, their families and academy staff.” 

To date, 50 staff working across five academies in Havering, Thurrock, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk have received specialist training covering an introduction to childhood bereavement, the impact of grief at different ages and stages and how to help. 

Since attending the training 98% of academy staff said they would recommend the sessions and 74% rated their confidence in supporting a bereaved student as 4/5 after receiving the training. 

You might also be interested in

Bereavement training for professionals

We offer a range of training, from support immediately after a death in your school community to free online lessons that you can download via our website and even tailored sessions to meet the needs of your school or organisation.

View our training courses and give yourself the skills and confidence to support bereaved pupils in your classroom.

Resources for Schools

Access our resources library for schools, that offer guidance on creating bereavement guides, strategies and charter documents.

By using our templates you can have a strategy to support children and young people in your classroom following a death in the school community.

A new All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Childhood Bereavement has been proposed with the aim of raising awareness of the impact of bereavement on children and young people and encourage debate between children, young people, families, and professionals to develop policy solutions. MPs are now being encouraged to join the planned group to advocate for the needs of bereaved children and young people in their constituencies…and we need your help to reach them!  

Christine Jardine MP is behind the planned group with Winston’s Wish as the secretariat. To mark Children’s Grief Awareness Week 2024 Christine will be hosting an event for MPs with organisations in the sector so they can hear more about the impact of grief and bereavement from Winston’s Wish, Widowed and Young, the Childhood Bereavement Network and ABC Grief.  

Winston’s Wish is also imploring local MPs to make the needs of the bereaved children and young people in their constituencies a priority and consider joining the APPG.  

You can help by letting your local MP know about the group and encourage them to stand up for the grieving children and young people in your communities by joining the planned APPG.  

Send a letter, email or send a message on Facebook or X (formerly Twitter) using our template, simply personalise the details where prompted. You can find your MP and their contact details at members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP  

As the UK’s first childhood bereavement charity, Winston’s Wish acknowledges how important it is that the often overlooked topic of childhood bereavement should be discussed at a policy level. CEO of Winston’s Wish Fergus Crow commented: 

“Childhood bereavement is an often-overlooked issue that affects thousands of children across our nation each year. According to estimates, approximately 1 in 29 children will experience the death of a parent or sibling before they reach adulthood. That’s at least one child in every classroom.   

“The impact of loss during formative years can be profound, leading to emotional distress, academic challenges, and social withdrawal. Without appropriate support, these children may struggle with mental health issues such as anxiety and depression and are more likely to engage in risk taking behaviours, hindering their ability to thrive both personally and academically. It is imperative that we prioritise their needs within governmental policies and frameworks.”  

We implore MPs to make the needs of the bereaved children and young people in their constituencies a priority and consider joining the APPG.

 

Fergus Crow, CEO of Winston’s Wish

You might also be interested in

Support for Parents and Carers

Caring for a bereaved child or young person can be complex. While we can’t take away a young person’s loss, we can help you to help them thrive again.

We offer a range of support to families, so you can help the child or young person in your life, navigate their grief.

Support for Schools

Teachers play a vital role in the lives of bereaved children and young people, and often many don’t receive bereavement training.

At Winston’s Wish, we want to change that, which is why we provide guides, resources, free online learning and tailored training sessions for schools and professionals.

When a parent, sibling or someone important dies, memories become even more important to children as a way of continuing the bond between them and this person. Finding ways to help grieving children and young people to remember someone who has died and finding ways of handling difficult memories can make a huge difference to how children grieve.

Children and young people who were old enough to have memories of the person who died can often worry that they will forget them – their voice, their smile, their smell. So helping them to maintain those memories can help them with their grief.

Other children may have been too young when the person died to have many memories. This can make them feel distanced from the person who should feel so close. For them, telling stories and sharing your memories of that person can help them as they grow up.

Sometimes, children will have had a challenging or very distant relationship with the person who died. Talking about positive memories, while also acknowledging difficult ones, can help a child gain perspective on the person and find a way to grieve.

Ways to cope with anniversaries, birthdays and special days when you have been bereaved

Do children grieve differently?

Helping a child to remember someone who died

For those who were old enough to have memories of the person who died, it can be important to refresh them. This could be through activities such as sharing photographs of past events or creating a collection of special things connected with person. Refreshing memories is a little like re-saving a computer file: the memory is kept vivid and strong. Here are some ideas:

1. Putting together a memory box

A memory box is a place to keep all kinds of things that remind children and young people of the person who has died. This can include jewellery or a watch, cards or items of clothing like a tie or scarf. You could include tickets from places visited together (a film, a museum, a football match), copies of their favourite music, perfume or aftershave associated with the person who has died. Click here to download our step-by-step guide to creating a memory box.

2. Having a special day or part of a day in memory of the person who has died

It can help to have a dedicated time to remember the person who has died when you do things that remind you of them. This can include going to a place you associate with them and taking their favourite sandwiches (and yours!) and cake. You could listen to a favourite album or track or watch their favourite film. Or you could wear their favourite colour and have their favourite takeaway.

3. Creating a jar of memories

This can be a big jar in which people slip post-it notes with memories of the person who died whenever they like. Anyone who wants to remember can pull one out at random.

4. Planting bulbs for spring

Children can write memories on little pieces of paper that can be placed in the soil and spring bulbs planted. Their flowering recalls the memories.

How to use a memory box with bereaved children and young people

How to help children understand grief

Helping a child who has no memories of the person who has died

Some children may have been too young when the person died to have many memories. For them, stories are a way to remember someone who has died. Looking back on our own childhoods, it can be hard to know whether something is a memory or a story. Being told stories is a way of creating and maintaining the precious link between the child and their important person. Here are some ideas:

1. Creating a ‘quiz’ about the person

Create a list of questions to give to the child and they have to find out the answers from family members and friends. Questions could be: What was the naughtiest thing they did at school? What was their favourite band when they were 17? Did they have their own room when they grew up? What was it like? Did they ever play in a band or a sports team? Download our free Life Quiz activity sheet to get started.

2. Creating a box of stories

Friends and family members write the starting lines of stories on postcards and these are stored in a box for children to ‘claim’ when they are older. This is easier for people than writing out long reminiscences and it’s even better for children to hear a story being told. Starts for stories could be along the lines of: The time we got stock on the school roof… The time we went to the gig on the wrong day… The time they told me that they were going to have a baby…

3. Drawing up a timeline

Plotting events in the person’s life along a ‘river’ of memories can help a child gain a sense of the person. Putting together some dates (for example, the person’s birthday, the year they went to school and left school, wedding days, the child’s own birthday etc) can give a child a precious sense of how this person’s life was interwoven with their own.

How to get specialist bereavement support

Our team can offer more advice, information, resources and support for grieving children or young people. We can also help parent, carers, family members and professionals to support a grieving child. You can call us on 08088 020 021 or email us on ask@staging.winstonswish.org. We’re available 8am-8pm, Monday to Friday.

For out of hours mental help support, text WW to 85258 to speak with someone from our trusted partner, Shout. For urgent support in a crisis, please call 999.

Other resources you might find helpful

Information and advice

Advice and resources to support children and young people, including on bereavement by suicide, homicide and serious illness.

Activities for bereaved children

Download our activities to help grieving children and young people to explore and express their feelings and emotions and to help them maintain memories of the person who has died.