Almost everyone, during their lifetime, will experience the death of someone close or someone known to them. Death can happen at any time of life. Sometimes it is expected, because of illness or ageing, sometimes it happens suddenly without warning. If someone dies after a life-threatening or life-limiting illness bereavement care may have begun prior to death, as the person and their family are helped to prepare for separation and loss. When death comes suddenly and unexpectedly bereavement care can only begin after death has occurred, and extra support may be needed to help loved ones manage their feelings of shock and grief.
If you have come to this page as a bereaved person we would like to offer you our sympathy, we trust that the resources available will be helpful to you.
The Bereavement Coordinator works with staff throughout the Trust to promote quality end of life and bereavement care. The Coordinator does not provide bereavement counselling but will signpost people to appropriate services.
The South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust’s booklet ‘When someone dies, Information, guidance and support for family and friends’’ contains practical information which may be useful for those who have experienced a recent bereavement, this includes living and coping with bereavement and a list of relevant support organisations.
The trust holds an annual service of remembrance for the parents and families of children and babies who have died in the Trust. The date for this service is posted on the Trust’s website and in the local press. This event is organised by the Forget me Not group and the Bereavement Support Midwife.
For additional information regarding grief and bereavement click here to the HSC Bereavement Network Website.
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Bereavement Support Organisations
- Brake care (Bereaved by road traffic collision): brake.org.uk 0808 800 0401
- Cruse Bereavement Care: www.cruse.org.uk (028) 9043 4600/ 028 9127 2444
- Lifeline: 0808 808 8000
- Minding Your Head: mindingyourhead.info
- The Samaritans: samaritans.org 116 123
- WAVE Trauma Centre Bereaved by violence: wavetraumacentre.org.uk (028) 9077 9922
- Marie Curie Bereavement: mariecurie.org.uk/help 0800 090 2309
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Supporting Bereaved Parents
Visit our Beareveament section under Maternity for more information.
- AnamCara: anamcara.ie 00353 1404 5378/00353 85288 8888
- Child Bereavement UK: childbereavementuk.org 0800 0288 840
- Child death helpline: childdeathhelpline.org.uk 0800 282 986/0808 800 6019
- Compassionate Friends: tcf.org.uk (028) 8778 8016
- Cruse Child Bereavement Service (12-18 year olds): hopeagain.org.uk (028) 9043 4600
- Life after Loss: lifeafterloss.org.uk
- Meningitis NOW: meningitisnow.org 0808 801 0388
- Miscarriage Association UK: miscarriageassociation.org.uk 01924 200 799
- SANDS Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity: uk-sands.org 077 4099 3450
- SIDS Sudden Infant Death Syndrome lullabytrust.org.uk 0808 802 6868
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Bereaved by Suicide
- Lighthouse organisation: lighthousecharity.com (028) 9075 5070
- Niamh Louise foundation: niamhlouisefoundation.com (028) 8775 3327
- PIPS suicide prevention: pipschartiy.com 0800 088 6042
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Supporting Children
- Barnardos Child Bereavement Support Service: barnardos.org.uk/childbereavementservice 028 9066 8333
- Child Bereavement UK: childbereavementuk.org 0800 028 8840
- Childhood Bereavement Network: childhoodbereavementnetwork.org.uk
- Childline: childline.org.uk 0800 1111
- Cruse Child Bereavement Service (12-18 year olds): hopeagain.org.uk (028) 9043 4600/ 028 9127 2444
- Kinship Care Northern Ireland (Keeping families together): kinshipcareni.com 0800 022 3129
- Winston’s Wish Charity for bereaved children: winstonswish.org 0808 802 0021
- Family Trauma Centre: 028 9504 2828
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Practical Support
- Age NI: ageni.org 0808 808 7575
- Alzheimer’s Society: alzheimers.org.uk 0300 222 1122
- Bereavement Register: the-bereavement-register.org.uk 0800 082 1230 (Registering details to stop unwanted direct mail)
- Social Services Bereavement Service: 0800 085 2463 (Report a death to the Social Security Agency)
- NI Direct website: nidirect.gov.uk/index/information-and-services/government-citizens-and-rights/death-and-bereavement.htm (Government Services)
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Useful Resources
Title Size Download When someone close to you dies SOMALIAN 349.46 KB Download When someone close to you dies SLOVAKIAN 377.45 KB Download When someone close to you dies ROMANIAN 355.90 KB Download When someone close to you dies PORTUGUESE 338.56 KB Download When someone close to you dies POLISH 347.05 KB Download When someone close to you dies MANDARIN 425.35 KB Download When someone close to you dies LITHUANIAN 341.36 KB Download When someone close to you dies HUNGARIAN 325.64 KB Download When someone close to you dies CANTONESE 525.54 KB Download When someone close to you dies ARABIC 379.01 KB Download