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CHUMS – offer specialist bereavement support to children and young people from three-and-a-half years old until their 26th birthday in Kent
Specialist support is needed when a child or young person is experiencing complicated grief or traumatic bereavement. This might mean that it is extra hard for them to manage the death and so it is having an enduring negative impact on everyday life. This might be because of the way the person died or because various other factors are disrupting their ability to grieve. Children and young people who need specialist support are likely to be experiencing difficulties such as:
prolonged periods of being low and withdrawn
anxiety that prevents them from doing things they would normally do
high levels of frustration that impact on relationships and daily life
struggling with thoughts or images about the death
being unable to tolerate thinking or speaking about their bereavement.
This Specialist Bereavement Service is established from a wide range of experienced, trained professionals and volunteers. Support will be tailored to provide evidence-based interventions to children and young people through one-to-one, group and drop-in sessions.
