One of a series of leaflets published by The Compassionate Friends The law, funeral arrangements and other formalities In almost all cases of sudden, unexpected death, the police and coroner’s office will be involved. These legal processes can feel quite intrusive. There may be investigations and eventually an inquest. We or other family members may be asked to give statements. A child death review takes place after any child under 18 dies in the UK, usually run by an NHS professional. All of this can intensify and prolong our grief over many months, or even years. Every police force has legal duties, protocols and guidelines to follow, both in investigating an unexplained death and also interacting with next of kin. The police may be the ones who gave us the initial news. A family liaison officer may be appointed and we may be given a number to call. Many of us – but not all - have had positive experiences with individual police officers. Their professionalism and compassion can help us in our initial journey through grief. If we are our child’s next of kin, we will also have some immediate legal tasks, such as registering their death, collecting copies of their death certificate and making funeral arrangements. It will be up to the coroner’s office to decide when our child’s body can be released for burial or cremation. TCF has produced a series of factsheets with detailed advice about inquests and other legal proceedings for bereaved parents in England and Wales, as well as the Investigation of Sudden Deaths in Scotland. See: tcf.org.uk/legalhelp There will be other practical and legal issues if our child died whilst abroad. For more practical information on this subject see the TCF leaflet: See: tcf.org.uk/deathoverseas
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