At Palace Wood we understand that it can be extremely difficult when you lose someone you knew and cared for. Whether you’ve lost a family member, a friend, or a pet, you may feel a whole range of emotions. 

Grief is an emotional response to this loss, and is a process rather than an event. It may affect how you feel physically, mentally and socially. Bereavement, grief and loss can cause many different symptoms and they affect people in different ways. There's no right or wrong way to feel.

It is important to try talking about your feelings to a friend, family member, health professional or counsellor. You could also contact a support organisation for support or consider peer support, where people use their experiences to help each other.

Self-help for you and your child can come in a variety of ways and on this page, we have provided a few links to useful websites, support groups and books and leaflets to help support families.

Find support on social media:

You can find these groups by searching key-words, like grief and loss, on different social media channels. Some examples that might help you are:

• Griefcase (Instagram) 
• The Grief Gang (Instagram) 
• Your New Normal (Instagram) 
• Siblings Grieve Too (Instagram)
• Live. Death. Whatever. (Twitter) 
• The Loss Project (Twitter) 
• Apart of Me is a game designed to help young people cope with the death of loved one.
• The Griefcast is a podcast where comedians talk about their own experiences of death and bereavement. 
• Grief Encounters is a podcast about love, life and loss.

Organisations supporting children and their families:

• Grief Encounter is a charity supporting children and their families who have experienced the death of someone close to them. Call 0808 802 0111 - Monday to Friday 9am-9pm
• Holding On Letting Go is a Kent-based charity that helps children to cope with the death of someone close to them.
• Winston’s Wish support children and their families after the death of a parent or sibling. If you need advice on supporting a bereaved child, you can phone their helpline. Call 0808 802 0021 - Monday to Friday 9am-5pm 
• Child Bereavement UK supports families and educates professionals both when a baby or child of any age dies or is dying, and when a child is facing bereavement. Call 0800 028 8840 - Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm  
• Jigsaw South East provides information, advice and guidance to help support bereaved children and young people and those facing the death of a loved one. They support families across Surrey, parts of West Sussex, Kent and surrounding areas. Call 01342 313895 – Monday to Friday 9am – 12pm
• Slide Away is a charity which works in partnership with schools in West Kent. Their aim is for all children to have access to a bereavement support service. You can self-refer or speak to your School Bereavement contact to support with a referral. You can email them here slideawayone@aol.com

Organisations supporting young people:

• Hope Again is website set up by Cruse Bereavement Care for young people. https://www.hopeagain.org.uk/ 
• Let’s Talk About Loss is a peer-led meet up group in cities across the UK for young people aged 18-35 who have been bereaved at any stage. You can find them here: https://www.instagram.com/talkaboutloss/
• The New Normal runs grief support meetings to connect young adults who have all experienced loss and are looking for others who understand.

Organisations supporting adults:

• Cruse Bereavement Care provides bereavement support to people across the UK. If you need someone to talk to you can call their helpline. Call 808 808 1677
• Friends Together is based in West Kent. They run a Grief Chat which is a completely free service and is available Monday-Friday, 9am-9pm. Call 01732 360328 
• The Compassionate Friends offers support for those mourning the death of a child of any age and from any cause. You can email them here helpline@tcf.org.uk 
• Death Cafes are local groups of people getting together to drink tea, eat cake and discuss death. They are run entirely by volunteers. Although they may not be meeting physically right many are meeting virtually. Find your nearest here. https://deathcafe.com/
• WAY Foundation is a national charity that supports people who have been widowed before their 51st birthday. 
• Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide  exists to meet the needs of those bereaved by the suicide of anyone close to them. Call 0300 111 5065 - Monday to Friday, 9am-9pm 
• Macmillan Cancer Support provide information and support for anyone affected by bereavement due to cancer. Call them on 0808 808 0000