Charities call for a renewed focus on children who have lost a parent during Covid-19
Katy Morton
Thursday, November 18, 2021
This Children's Grief Awareness Week (18-24 November), the public are being urged to listen to bereaved children and understand how important it is that they receive support when they are grieving.
Research published in the Lancet journal found that at least 10,000 children have been bereaved of a primary caregiver across the UK due to the pandemic. Over 50,000 children have also had a parent, guardian or carer die from other causes over the last 20 months.
The charities behind Children’s Grief Awareness Week - the NCB’s Childhood Bereavement Network, Child Bereavement UK, Grief Encounter, WAY Widowed and Young and Winston’s Wish - are calling on the public to support their local bereavement service or organisation after the pandemic prevented many fundraising activities and challenges from going ahead. With the public's support, they say that these services and organisations will be able to continue their 'vital work' into 2022.
Gail Precious, coordinator of the Childhood Bereavement Network, said, ‘The number of children bereaved during the coronavirus outbreak should be national news. But after over 20 months of dealing with the pandemic, we have become desensitised to those grieving all around us.
'We have stopped listening to the bereaved, particularly children and young people. These children are often trying to cope under-the-radar of those around them, unheeded and invisible.’
Resources for teachers
The charity Barnardo’s has released free resources for teachers to help children cope with bereavement.
Available on the charity’s website, they include an introductory worksheet which explores what grief is and a volcano-making activity that focuses on how grief impacts us. Also included is information about coping techniques children can use when times are difficult, such as exercises to help regulate their breathing.
The resources will also be posted throughout Children’s Grief Awareness Week on the Barnardo’s Education Community Twitter page @BarnardosEduCom.
Barnardo’s interim co-chief executive Michelle Lee-Izu said, ‘Sadly the raw feelings of grief and loss will be familiar to thousands of children and families across the UK, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
‘Children have suffered a huge amount of loss in the last year. For most this has meant missing out on school and playing with their friends, but for too many children it has meant the loss of parents, grandparents and members of their family or community.’
