Support for families

At Once Upon a Smile we tailor the support we provide to your family’s needs. We have lots of creative programmes where children and young people can come along to remember their loved ones and to express their thoughts and feelings in a fun and safe environment.

Grief is a natural response to death and most children don’t need specialised grief counselling. What they need is to feel safe, cared for and to have their grief acknowledged while navigating BIG feelings at a pace that feels right for them.

Whilst we can’t take away the pain of bereavement or fix things, we can provide appropriate support by educating children on death and dying. With information children and young people can begin to process what’s happened and grieve in a healthy way.

In our one-to-one sessions the Bereavement Support Practitioner will:

• Assess their level of understanding
• Acknowledge what has happened
• Answer questions honestly with language they understand
• Provide opportunities to remember their loved one
• Encourage them to express thoughts and feelings
• With child’s permission engage with parent in open conversations

All sessions are tailored to the interests of each child and young person.  These provide opportunities to remember their loved one, explore thoughts and feelings through creative activities such as arts & crafts, music, story telling and play.

Navigating grief while supporting a grieving child can be incredibly challenging, but you don’t have to do it alone. Our Bereavement Support Practitioners provide expert guidance to help parents and carers talk to their children about death in age-appropriate ways and support them in managing their child’s complex emotions.

We offer support to parents to help them cope with grief in a healthy way, including parent group sessions where they can connect with others who have a shared experience. These groups provide a safe space, helping build emotional resilience and develop new coping strategies.

Supporting bereaved children in schools is crucial, but it can be challenging for both educators and families. We work with schools to ensure that children who have experienced a bereavement are given the support they need to grieve in a healthy and constructive way.

We provide schools with support and guidance to have open, age-appropriate conversations with pupils about death.  Where individual children attend Once upon a Smile we support their teachers to implement appropriate bereavement support plans.

Additionally, we offer schools the chance to order our unique we’re here for you support bags to provide bereaved children with emotional support.