It is better when we work together
It is better when we work together
Jennifer Somerville, Bereavement Co-ordinator, Scotland, Child Bereavement UK
When you, or
someone you know, is bereaved it is a bewildering time. There are so many
things that happen at the beginning that need attention. It can feel completely
overwhelming.
Bereavement
challenges us in many ways, including physically, cognitively and spiritually.
It is a period often of much adjustment and can often be intensely difficult to
navigate.
Often when we
are bereaved it is a time where we need support. There are lots of ways in
which we might give or receive support when someone is grieving. When someone
is first bereaved there is often a lot of support offered in lots of different
ways – bringing a casserole, shining shoes, offering to look after the children
while things are sorted out.
Often cards and condolences are sent and our grief is acknowledged. However, after a time this support seems to stop – we feel like life has moved on around us and everyone has forgotten our intense pain and feeling of being ‘lost’.
Grief is lifelong, it changes us as people and we have to learn to accommodate it, and keep accommodating it in different ways at different times, but we don’t get over it and we aren’t cured. We continue to need the support of those around us.
Most of us will cope with grief with the support of family and friends – especially when those people really understand our ongoing needs and the ups and downs of our grief. Sometimes though we might need a bit of extra support – and this in itself can be really challenging. Finding the right support to fit our needs can be really difficult – sometimes it is so difficult we give up looking. That’s where the work that we have been doing at Child Bereavement UK comes in.
Since 2015 Child Bereavement UK has been building local bereavement networks across Scotland. There are currently 12 local bereavement networks. These networks exist so that there are opportunities to support each other, learn together, have knowledge about the services in an area that can support those who are grieving and lots more. There are significant challenges to signposting – but the networks really help give information about all different aspects of support that can be beneficial to people who are grieving in a particular area. The aim is to have a ‘no wrong door’ approach – which means if you are looking for support, whichever door you knock on means you should get to the right support for you.
Local bereavement networks in Scotland
In the last two years we have brought together all the local networks, by having a National Network Event. This has allowed organisations to come together from across Scotland – to network, learn and share good practice to help to further continue to close the gaps in support and widen out the meaning of what bereavement support is, and how it supports those who are grieving. Our aim is to continue to work together to make sure that those who are grieving get the right support at the right time.
Some of our learning from our National Networks
If you are interested in joining a local network, or learning more, contact me directly to have a chat. You can contact me at: Jennifer.somerville@childbereavementuk.org
Child Bereavement UK also has lots of training opportunities available across Scotland, and further afield, and I would be happy to chat through options and provide more information around this.
More information on all our work in Scotland can be found here: https://www.childbereavementuk.org/scotland-development-project
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