Information for professionals

The Compassionate Friends (TCF) is an organisation of bereaved parents and their families offering support and understanding to other bereaved parents after the death of their son or daughter, at any age and from any cause.

This section is for professionals who have contact with bereaved parents. This could include health workers, GPs, nurses and clinicians, ministers of religion and faith leaders, bank staff, benefits and housing officers, social workers, counsellors and others.

Depending on your profession, you may have more or less experience in supporting bereaved parents. Possibly your organisation may have some policies regarding this.

You may have a single encounter with a bereaved parent or you may have ongoing interactions. You may meet them almost immediately after their child dies or in the following months and years. Some families will already be known to you, whilst you may be meeting others for the first time. Your contact may be in person or over the phone.

We hope that the information in these pages, gleaned from our own experiences, will provide you with insights and perhaps new ideas for good practice in supporting the bereaved parents you encounter. You can find leaflets and resources in the boxes below.

"I often see patients whose health has broken down under the strain of the loss of a child. Every parent I have given details of The Compassionate Friends has told me that it was just what they needed." R, local lead for mental health nursing support

Thank you

Thank you for taking the time to read these pages. We appreciate all you can do in supporting the bereaved parents who cross your path. We may not always be so forthcoming in showing our appreciation at the time, but in the years to come, we are likely to look back and remember with comfort the patience you showed. Your kindness gave us a safe space in which to cope with our grief and keep moving onwards with our lives.

Please note we can provide speakers to offer your organisation or group further insight into the impact of child loss on bereaved parents and families, how peer support can help and the services provided by The Compassionate Friends for bereaved parents and siblings. Please contact us at info@tcf.org.uk or 0345 120 3785 for more information.