Support for Children and Young People

Who can access support?

At Compton Care, we provide a specialist bereavement counselling service to children and young people aged between 5 and 17.

As with adults, many children and young people are able to manage their feelings of grief, however, for those that would like some extra support we offer a safe and confidential place for them to explore their thoughts, feelings and fears.

Family and friends are an important part of the support network during bereavement, however, for some children and young people, it can be beneficial to talk to someone outside of the immediate circle. Children and young people can work with our specialist counsellor who can provide support to those whose loved ones were connected to Compton Care before they died.

Personalised support

Children and young people don’t always know how to express their thoughts and feelings on death, dying and bereavement.

We use art therapy, poetry, therapeutic play and memory building activities to help them explore their emotions, better understand illness and make sense of loss.

Grief is personal, and so we treat each young person as an individual throughout their time accessing bereavement care. They’ll receive one-to-one support to work through their thoughts and feelings with the guidance of a trained member of our bereavement team.

We can arrange workshops for the whole family to attend together on an ad hoc basis, and can also provide guidance on how you can support the children and young people within your care.

How to access support

We carry out initial assessments here at The Cedars. This is a chance to find out more about the service, how we work and how bereavement care could be beneficial. Please note that there is no pressure to commit to attending sessions during these assessments.

For more information about our children and young people’s bereavement service, please call 0300 323 0250, or email us on bereavement@comptoncare.org.uk.