We can support you
We know that every death is unique and the way that each person grieves is individual. Our Spiritual Care and Bereavement Team can support a family’s wishes throughout a child’s life and death, helping your family develop resilience and cope with the death of your child.
Spiritual Care and Bereavement Support
Spiritual Care and Bereavement Team
At the hardest of times, we can support you to make decisions around your child's death that keep what's important to you at the centre.
Our dedicated Spiritual Care and Bereavement Team can support those affected at any time they are grieving – before and after the death of a child.
Chaplains
Our registered Chaplains within our Spiritual Care and Bereavement Team can support you if your child has died following a life-shortening condition or has received end of life care in hospital, hospice or home. Our chaplains can offer support for all faiths or no faith, working alongside other teams to ensure families are well supported.
We offer support to people of all backgrounds, with or without a specific faith or belief, and will provide a space where you and your family members can be yourselves to express your hopes, fears and concerns.
Our Chaplains provide a listening ear, allowing you to reflect on your experience, discuss coping strategies and explore questions around meaning and purpose, beliefs and concerns.
We offer support that’s right for you
Every family is different, and people react and grieve in various ways. We know that you may experience many different feelings and emotions in the weeks and months ahead.
Our Spiritual Care and Bereavement Team supports families at all stages of their journey. There is no time limit on when you can seek this support.
At the time of death our chaplains can support you with funeral arrangements, including conducting your child’s funeral and liaising with funeral directors. They can also connect you with a celebrant or faith leader who is most appropriate to meet your needs.
Bereavement support
We care for the whole family and can support siblings, parents, carers, other family members and significant people in your child's life.
We can meet with you individually, as a couple, or in a group setting. This might be in your home, the hospice or in the community, wherever feels most comfortable.
What we offer
We provide various opportunities for you to connect with other bereaved families at regular events, such as:
Bereaved Parents' Support Groups
Our Bereaved Parents' Support groups offer an opportunity for bereaved parents to come together, with members of staff from our Spiritual Care and Bereavement Team, to share their experiences in a safe and supportive environment.
The groups tend to meet monthly for a period of 8 to 9 months, with the same people attending each time, and involve a combination of organised therapeutic activities and informal chatting with other bereaved parents, over hot drinks and cakes provided by the hospices.
The locations of these groups change, to try to reach and connect families across Scotland. We have so far held groups in Aberdeen, Stirling and Edinburgh - please contact our team if you would like more details on our next group meeting.
One-to-one Support
Our one-to-one support is offered to anyone who has been affected by the death of a baby, child or young person, or anyone who is facing a life-shortening diagnosis or condition in a baby, child or young person.
When you are referred for one-to-one support, you will be assigned to work with a member of the Spiritual Care and Bereavement Team, who will provide a safe and non-judgmental space for you to explore your situation and the impact this has had on you.
You will have a choice of meeting in person (at home, in Robin or Rachel House, or in community), online, or speaking on the phone.
We are also flexible about how often you have your sessions. Some people have a weekly session, whereas others might meet monthly.
There is no fixed time frame for support and no upper limit to the number of sessions you can have. We work closely with you to ensure that the support is right for you and that you feel you are getting the most out of it.
Candlelight Service
Each year in winter, we hold a Candlelight Service.
We recognise how hard the lead up to Christmas and all that surrounds the festive season can be for some families. We therefore provide a space for families and staff to come together for a service of music and reflection to acknowledge love and loss.
An important part of the service is the opportunity to light a candle.
Families appreciate being able to connect together afterwards over refreshments. Recognising that we have families across Scotland, the Candlelight Service changes location each year.
Please contact our team if you would like more details of our next service.
Remembering Day
Every March, we invite all our bereaved families to join together for our annual Remembering Day.
Families can choose to join this in person or online. For all families attending, the day begins with a service to remember your child(ren).
This service provides space to remember and honour your child(ren) through music, words and silence. Many families say that saying or hearing their child(ren)'s name(s) read out is hugely significant.
For those attending in person, there is also then the invitation to join with others for an afternoon tea, as well as some optional activities. For several years now, this event has been held at Apex Dunblane Hydro.
Walk and Talk Events
Time and time again, our bereaved families tell us they want to meet with others who understand some of what they're going through.
One of the more informal ways we encourage this is through our Walk and Talk Events. These are one-off opportunities to connect with other families local to yourself, over a relaxed walk and some refreshments. We usually also provide an activity for any siblings attending.
Our calendar of events is always evolving and more details on what's happening in the coming months can be found on our website. We also have a closed private Connecting Bereaved Families Facebook page - speak to our team about how to join the group.
At some point, you may be looking for some structured support. We can work with you to identify if you would benefit from one to one or group support with us. We can also help you to connect with other organisations providing services more tailored to your needs, if appropriate.
Who can use this service?
The Bereavement Service supports all families in Scotland following the death of a child. To request this service complete our referral form.
My Bereavement Worker has helped me so much and continues to support me with coping skills after the loss of my teenage son. The team are a valuable part of support, they do an amazing job. Whether it's in-person or online video calls.
As everyone is unique, so is our support
Collaborating with other care teams, we ensure seamless support.
From the early days of diagnosis throughout the child’s life, when they die and beyond, CHAS will stand by families, helping them to navigate and cope with the journey ahead.