The school have completed St Elizabeth Hospice’s Dying to Talk programme, which encourages young people to have open conversations about end-of-life and bereavement.

Part of St Elizabeth Hospice’s 565 Service, which provides emotional and bereavement support for children, young people and families living with a family member with progressive illness, Dying to Talk is a training programme run by St Elizabeth Hospice which raises standards in conversations about end-of-life and awareness around bereavement and support services available.

“At any age the conversation subject of death and bereavement is often seen as ‘taboo’ but it is really important to have these open conversations, particularly at a young age, in order to help each other’. “During the last few years, Covid-19 has seen many of our community impacted by death and bereavement of a friend or a loved one. There is no right or wrong way to experience grief or to think about death and dying, but through having honest conversations with a trusted relative, friend,
teacher or a counsellor we can make a real difference and make living with loss easier for us all.”

On completion of the Dying to Talk training the schools have nominated a children’s bereavement champion whom attended a six week training course delivered by the hospice, as well as developing bereavement care to the highest standard by undertaking an assessment of the support available to children in school and completion of an improvement plan, where required.

To ensure the new practices are kept to update and continue to evolve, each year their support services for pupils will be reviewed by the hospice and a nominated school Bereavement Champion will lead the service provision while attending biannual consultations sessions with children bereavement service counsellors to refresh training and maintain a high level of support for families.