We offer a free book gifting service for bereaved families to help them talk about death. We hold stock of around 100 different titles and carefully choose the right books depending on the age of the child and the stage of their grief.
These books help children and young people understand the death of their loved one and their feelings and emotions about their loss. Bereavement books can help families to talk about very difficult topics, such as losing a loved one to suicide, murder or cancer. For some families these specialist books might be all the support they need, but others may go on to access many more of the services we offer.
We do not provide books to agencies or organisations (on the basis that they will generally have the means to buy such resources themselves) however we can provide a booklist and guidance as to which books would be most beneficial.
We know that bereaved children and young people often feel very isolated, particularly as they may not know anyone else of their age who has suffered a bereavement. Our activity days aim to address these feelings of isolation by providing an opportunity for bereaved children and young people to meet others with shared experiences.
Activity Days are free to attend and offer a range of fun activities. We also run sessions for seasonal activities at Easter and Christmas and our craft sessions, including “Keeping Memories Safe” are always popular.
Our staff, volunteers and committee members attend the event and the events are structured so that the adults can meet others and enjoy a chat over a cuppa. Our staff and volunteers are on hand throughout to support both children and adults including offering advice or support to parents if they are concerned about their child.
Where appropriate, we can introduce one of our responders to provide additional support for bereaved children.
Sometimes responders can meet with the parents and carers to give them suggestions on how best to respond to their child. On other occasions, the responder may undertake some direct work with the child or young person. This may be via some craft activities or working through an activity book.
Visits will normally take place within the family home, and can in some circumstances take place very quickly after the death has occurred. For some families a one-off visit is sufficient, however, in other circumstances, a number of visits may be agreed upon.
It is estimated that there are around 26,000 school-age children in Scotland who have been bereaved of a parent or sibling at some point in their childhood.
We offer free awareness training for teachers and other professionals who work with children and young people.
Our aim is to help them build the skills, knowledge, and confidence to support bereaved children. To enquire about training please email us at malcolm.stewart@archie.org