Bereavement Charter Mark for Prisons in Scotland
We are currently piloting a Bereavement Charter Mark for Prisons in Scotland, and new prisons are welcome to participate in the pilot. This is part of the work of the Scottish Bereavement Charter group.
Working towards the Bereavement Charter Mark for Prisons can help a prison to become a more supportive place for bereaved staff, residents, and the families of residents.
What do you need to do?
There are three elements within the Charter Mark for prisons:
A: Prisons as workplaces – support for prison staff
B: Prisons as living spaces – support for residents
C: Prisons as communities – Support for Families
You can choose to focus on one element, or to apply for more than one. You’ll receive certification for each element you complete.
A: Prisons as workplaces
This element focuses on how the prison supports staff when they are bereaved.
The Prison will be awarded the Bereavement Charter Mark for Prisons as Workplaces if it can meet at least three of the following criteria:
1. All staff are informed that the prison is working towards the Bereavement Charter Mark for Prisons: Staff Support and given an opportunity to watch the following short films about bereavement:
2. All Senior and First Line Managers within the prison have read the ‘Resources for Managers, Colleagues and Employers’ section of the Scottish Bereavement Friendly Workplaces Toolkit.
3. Senior Management have considered how the staff bereavement policy can be applied in each establishment and a plan of action made to address identified areas for improvement.
4. The prison has set out ways that it will visibly promote more awareness of bereavement and bereavement support for staff, for example through its website, social media channels and shared staff spaces.
5. The prison has developed (or is in the process of developing) and displayed a local workplace bereavement charter for staff.
Resources to help
We’ve brought together some resources to help prisons to work towards the Bereavement Charter Mark for Prisons as Workplaces, which can be accessed here Prisons as Workplaces | Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief
B: Prisons as Living Spaces
This element focuses on how the prison supports residents when they are bereaved.
The Prison will be awarded the Bereavement Charter Mark for Prisons as Living Spaces if it can meet at least three of the following criteria:
1. Each hall has a member of staff who is a Bereavement Champion.
2. The prison has a clear policy on bereavement support/procedures for residents that takes into account both recent bereavements and significant bereavements from a resident’s past. All staff know how to apply the policy fairly and consistently
3. Residents know how they can access information about bereavement.
4 Residents know how they can access bereavement support.
5 The prison provides space for bereaved residents to grieve.
Resources to help
We’ve brought together some resources to help prisons to work towards the Bereavement Charter Mark for Prisons as Living Spaces, which can be accessed here: Prisons as Living Spaces
C: Prisons as Communities
This element focuses on how the prison supports families when they are bereaved.
The Prison will be awarded the Bereavement Charter Mark for Prisons as Communities if it can meet at least three of the following criteria:
1. The prison has a clear procedure on support to and interactions with families at times of bereavement. All staff know how to apply the policy fairly and consistently
2. The prison provides opportunities for families and residents to share solace following a shared bereavement.
3. The prison signposts families to sources of information and support following a bereavement
4. Visitor’s Centre staff know how to signpost families to bereavement support and have the opportunity to attend training and awareness sessions provided to staff in the establishment.
Resources to help
We’ve brought together some resources to help prisons to work towards the Bereavement Charter Mark for Prisons as Communities, which can be accessed here: Prisons as Communities | Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief
Take part in the pilot
HMP Edinburgh has helped us to develop the pilot version of the Bereavement Charter Mark for Prisons in Scotland launched in January 2026. Prisons can apply for the charter mark by completing this application form: Application Form
We are keen to continue to refine and improve the Charter Mark and accompanying resources, to make them as useful as possible for prisons in Scotland. If you’d be willing to provide some feedback on your experiences of implementing the charter mark we’d be most grateful. Please get in touch: rebecca@palliativecarescotland.org.uk
Photo by Tam Nugent.
