Today marks the beginning of Children’s Grief awareness week, now in it’s 7th year, the week is designed to raise awareness of bereaved children and young people in the UK.
According to research published in the Lancet in July 2021, at least 10,000 children have been bereaved of a primary caregiver across the UK due to the pandemic and over 50,000 children have had a parent, guardian or carer die from other causes over the last 20 months.
This year’s theme is #saythewords, giving bereaved children the opportunity to be heard, listened too and the opportunity to give their grief a public voice. It’s also about highlighting what support means to bereaved children and young people and highlighting the difference support can make in their lives.
At SLOW, we support children and young people after the death of their brother or sister through our SLOWsibs groups.
We run quarterly creative workshops where children can meet other bereaved siblings to share activities that are fun and help build confidence. This helps bereaved siblings feel less alone and provides a safe space to explore feelings, giving them hope for the future.
“I find it really fun and I’ve met other children that have lost their brothers and sisters, so I know I’m not the only one this has happened to” says one of our SLOWsibs.
Previous workshops have included cupcake decoration, miniature worlds, gardening, marbling, decoupage and Christmas wreaths. Our activities are designed to support each child living with their grief while building a hopeful future, as well as commemorating their sibling who has died.
If you or someone you know would like to find out more information about our SLOWsibs groups, email info@slowgroup.co.uk or call 07532 423674
#saythewords #cgaw2021
