Specialist palliative and bereavement support charity, Compton Care, is supporting schools across the region with the launch of a new Grief Education in Schools programme, designed to equip teachers and support staff with the skills and confidence to support children experiencing loss.

The free initiative, made possible thanks to generous support from The Birchfield Trust, comes ahead of updated Department for Education guidance, which will make learning about loss, grief and bereavement a mandatory part of Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) in schools from September this year.

By the age of 16, sadly over three quarters (78%) of children will have experienced the death of at least one close friend or relative. 1 in 29 children (aged 5-16 years) are bereaved of a parent or a sibling, affecting on average, one child in every classroom*.

Deborah Pennington, Head of Counselling and Family Support at Compton Care, said: “Children and young people experience many forms of loss, from bereavement and illness to changes in family life, friendships and stability. These experiences can have a profound impact on their emotional wellbeing, confidence and learning, and without the right support, may affect outcomes later in life.

“This programme, delivered by Compton’s expert team will help teachers understand how loss affects children at different ages and stages, how to create emotionally safe environments, and how to respond to both bereavement and the wider range of losses children face.

“Thanks to generous support from the Birchfield Trust, Compton is able to offer this training free of charge to schools within the communities we serve, and to support the young people who sadly are experiencing bereavement and loss.”

Delivered by the charity’s specialist educators and counselling team, the programme offers a range of flexible training opportunities for schools. This includes inset training for all staff delivered within schools, dedicated training events which will take place at the charity’s base at Compton Hall in Wolverhampton, and also online training.

Schools interested in finding out more information about the programme are invited to contact the team on 0300 323 0250 or email learning@comptoncare.org.uk to register their interest. Further details can be found here.

Compton Care has been providing specialist, accessible care to the people of Wolverhampton, the Black Country, South Staffordshire and east Shropshire for over forty years. In addition to its 18-bed Inpatient Unit, the charity also provides a wide range of high-quality services to patients in the place they call home.

The charity’s Counselling and Family Support service also offers dedicated support for children and young people who have a loved one receiving care or who have experienced a bereavement. Through regular events and activities, the service helps support emotional wellbeing, reduce feelings of isolation and foster positive peer connections in a safe and nurturing environment. Compton Hall, where the Inpatient Unit is situated also features a dedicated children’s play area, offering a fun and safe environment for young visitors to expend their energy while visiting loved ones or attending support service appointments.