Archie’s Child Bereavement Service is offered free of charge to families within Grampian, Tayside, the Highlands and Orkney. The service supports families and professionals who are working with children and young people.
We recognise that every child is different, and we believe that with appropriate support, information and guidance, all children and young people will manage their grief. ACBS supports children who have experienced bereavement no matter the relationship.
The majority of referrals we receive are from schools (41%) and health professionals (35%) reflecting our close partnership-working with these key sectors.
We offer a wide range of services, which are carefully tailored to suit the individual needs of the child and their family.
Each enquiry we receive is personally followed up by our highly experienced coordinators, who through an initial phone conversation assess how best to support the child or young person. For some families, this might be all the support they need but others may access many more of the services on offer.
Archie’s Child Bereavement Service is managed by our Bereavement Services Manager, Malcolm. We also have continued dedication and support from Anne Bone who is an Archie Trustee, Chair of the ACBS Committee and a founding member of the Grampian Child Bereavement Network.
We have a highly experienced Bereavement Coordinator in each of the three regions in which Archie operates – Kevin in Aberdeen, Audrey in Tayside and Remi in Highlands.
Also in the team are our bereavement support workers for the health and education sectors. Caitlin and Emily directly support children surrounding a death that has taken place in a Grampian hospital. Jane works within schools and school communities to offer bereavement support.
We hope that in sharing information, tips and guidance we can provide some degree of instant comfort for parents and carers who are struggling to support a child when someone they love has died. Information is categorised by the age of the child but bear in mind that all children are different in how they process and manage their grief.
Meet Emily, an incredible young girl who is facing the world without her beloved Dad. Following his unexpected death from Covid, Emily was supported by our Bereavement Support Worker, Jane.
Emily and her Mum bravely told their story as part of Children in Need 2022.
“She allowed him to be part of our lives as soon as he left and created a dialogue where we could talk about him.”