Introducing TCF - For health and social care professionals

UK Helpline: 0 345 123 23 0 4 | tcf.org.uk • More than 50 leaflets on various practical and emotional aspects of grieving for a child, sibling or grandchild • Information and signposting on legal aspects of bereavement such as inquests • A library of books about grief to borrow. TCF’s online support, including the Forum, Facebook groups and other social media, is moderated by trained volunteer facilitators to ensure safety and privacy. We aim to help any individual or family affected by the death of a child. This includes married and unmarried parents, civil partners, step and blended families, heterosexual and same sex couples, adoptive and foster parents, kinship carers and single parents. TCF has no religious affiliation and offers confidential support to the bereaved, irrespective of the cause of death or their ethnic, social or political background. “The Compassionate Friends is, without doubt, a charity with a bottomless pit of compassion and friendship. Never has an organisation lived up to its name so perfectly. I can’t begin to tell you how much this support means to us.” Peter and Anne, bereaved parents The impact of child loss “Without TCF, I’m not sure where I would have found the strength to carry on... I can’t thank you all enough for the work you do.” Aisha, bereaved mother The grief of bereaved parents is devastating and overwhelming, as professionals working with them will be aware. In experiencing the death of a beloved child, parents endure a profoundly traumatic loss so out of the natural order and acutely painful that it changes their lives forever in a multitude of ways. Parents may struggle to manage the intensity and complexity of their emotions. The death of a child – whether sudden or anticipated – may also result in acute and long-lasting symptoms of post-traumatic stress. Physically, grief can be exhausting, can weaken the immune system and negatively affect sleep and appetite. The trauma of their bereavement can impact the bereaved parents’ ability to meet their financial, family or work responsibilities. Some feel unable to return to work for an extended period, if at all. They may