People’s Choice Award 2023 Gold Longform £350,000-£5 million
127 children in the UK experience the death of their mother, father or sibling every day.
When the unimaginable happens and a child or young person experiences the death of a parent or sibling, their world can seem a very dark place. Life as they knew it changes instantly. ‘Out of Darkness’ captures the essence of moving from the darkness of grief, into a lighter, more accepting, happier place - into a ‘new normal’. We know that grief still exists but individuals can learn to live again – with their grief.
What does 'Out of Darkness' look like? To each person, coming out of darkness looks different, unique to them – they may find the confidence again to speak to their class about mummy or daddy, or discover a new hobby that allows them to express their emotional state. Night terrors may pass, or speech problems caused by trauma, subside. The process will be different for each child, but our intention is that they all find light and positivity once again.
A huge thanks to Ethan, Amelia-Rose, Olivia and Cameron for agreeing to share their stories.
Why We Exist
Grief Encounter is a leading UK bereavement charity, offering professional support to bereaved children, young people and their families following the death of someone close. We create a safe space to help children and young people understand their personal experience of grief and explore difficult conversations openly and honestly.
Without access to support after the death of someone close, children and young people are more likely to experience immediate and longer-term challenges. This animation film was created to shine a light on all the children that still struggle with their grief alone.. Without access to support after the death of someone close, children and young people are more likely to experience immediate and longer-term challenges. These may affect their ability to live healthy and fulfilling lives including poor mental health, problems at school, substance misuse and unemployment. We are dedicated to ensuring every bereaved child gets the help they need when they need it.
The Impact We Make
Each child is unique and has individual needs. That’s why we provide bespoke tools which focuses on their circumstance and their grief. This includes access to advice and information, a range of relevant resources, our confidential grieftalk helpline, residential events, fun days, workshops as well as access to specialist talking therapy.
Our expert clinical team offers face-to-face and online therapeutic services, including grieftalk, our free, national helpline, open weekdays, 9am – 9pm. We tailor long-term care plans to the individual that will include 1:1 counselling, online workshops, family days, creative therapies and more. Grief Encounter also provides free advice and training to educational institutions and corporate organisations, following the death of a student or an employee.
In the last financial year, we have seen a huge increase in demand for our services. Our team of fully qualified therapists have delivered over 4,000 one-to-one therapy sessions, received 873 referrals and welcomed more than 100 children and young people to our fun days and events, amongst a myriad of other support provided to bereaved children we see and speak to every day.
Awards like these are hugely vital in raising awareness of the support we provide and ensure that no bereaved child or young person is left to grieve alone.
If you would like to find out more about the special heritage of Grief Encounter and how we are dedicated to ensuring bereaved children receive the right support at the right time, please visit www.griefencounter.org.uk.
To donate, please click here.
We align with the following UN Sustainable Development Goals:
