In the UK, 1 in 29 children under the age of 16 will suffer the death of a parent. Rebuilding a new life after the death of a loved one is hard for everyone, but especially for children and young people. The emotions experienced by a grieving child can have life-altering and long-lasting negative impacts on a child’s development. The vision is that every bereaved child and young person in the UK receive the best possible, professional grief support.
Grief Encounter help children through their darkest days, alleviating the pain caused by the death of someone close them. We stand apart from other bereavement charities due to the wide range of bespoke, professional support and resources we have developed over the last 17 years, which are available for free for bereaved individuals and their families. Also providing best practice bereavement training and support, Grief Encounter, founded by Dr Shelley Gilbert MBE, is recognised as a leading expert in the bereavement sector.
The Quintessentially Foundation funding will provide core cost support to Grief Encounter, enabling them to continue their extraordinary work in the field. The charity’s unique Family Programme supports more than 3,000 children and young people a year through tailored face-to-face counselling, e-counselling, group workshops, residential camps and more. Furthermore, its grieftalk helpline provides immediate support to the 40,000 children who experience the death of a parent or sibling annually.
