The death of a baby, child or young person is unimaginably painful.
We understand that everyone’s experience of loss is unique and we believe that there is no one way, or right way, to manage grief.
Whether online, on the phone or in person, we remain committed to supporting families through the most difficult of times.
Read our translated guides
Check out our translated guides in Romanian and Punjabi.
How we can help
Support and guidance
At Demelza we provide practical advice and support, helping families with funeral arrangements, registering a child’s death, liaising with employers for time off and schools for sibling support and informing family and friends. We can signpost the family to different agencies, including welfare and social care.
Counselling
The counselling team at Demelza is here to support you and your family. They are here to listen, to help you develop coping skills and to offer guidance. Sessions can be held either face to face, online or via the phone. Following an assessment, the team will contact you to talk with you about how and when counselling may be most helpful and support you in taking this forward.
Creative therapies
We have a team of trained art and music therapists, a dance movement therapist, and a reflexologist who can offer blocks of sessions at a Demelza site, within an educational setting for siblings, in your own home or online. Once a referral has been made, a member of the team will contact you to book a telephone consultation to discuss the options available to you depending on your needs and your location.
Online support groups
Demelza runs regular virtual catch-up and creative groups for families to meet others and talk or be creative (through writing, poems, needlecraft, music, blogs, etc.) in a relaxed environment. Each of the groups offer support through listening and provides an opportunity to meet with others who have experienced a similar loss.
Befriending
If you are experiencing loneliness or social isolation, Demelza may be able to put you in touch with one of our trained and experienced befriending volunteers who can offer friendship and a listening ear over the phone or a coffee.
Bereavement events
Demelza holds a number of events throughout the year, including the annual Candlelight, Snowdrop and summer remembrance events.
The events are a time for parents and carers to reflect, reminisce and celebrate the life of their child, in the company of their family and wider Demelza community.
Staying connected
Our team provides bereavement support for the whole family for as long as they wish. Eventually families may feel ready to transition away from Demelza, but we are always available if they need us.
Families can continue to stay in touch with our bereavement team and others, through the private Bereavement Families Facebook group.
If you would like to make a referral or discuss any of the support available please call or text 07719 044929 or email
familysupportdepartment@demelza.org.uk. There is also a family support helpline available every working weekday from 10am–4pm - just call 01795 845280.
Request a grief journal
Demelza is offering journals to all bereaved families following feedback from Elizabeth, a bereaved parent, who kept a journal following the death of her son Wilber. “We lost our darling Wilber in December 2022 at Demelza. We stayed at Demelza for almost a week after Wilber passed. When we returned home, I started to jot down a few memories in a notebook."
"Our time at Demelza was one of hugely mixed emotions. Of course, it was the worst time of our life losing Wilber, but we also encountered the most amount of love that we have ever experienced. Writing about it has helped me hold onto that, to write about the good as well as the worst possible.”
- Elizabeth, Wilber’s Mum
If you would like to read more about the benefits of journalling or some thoughts on where you begin select the button below to read more.
Join our steering group
To continually develop and improve the support offered to bereaved families, we’re looking for new members to collaborate and join our Bereavement Steering Group.
The group meets every other month and along with members of the Demelza team, offers the opportunity for those with lived experience to help shape our bereavement offer. We’ll work on specific projects together to develop the service and help us achieve our strategic goals to: extend our reach to more bereaved families and be effective in really finding out what the needs of families are.
Meetings can be attended in person at one of the hospices, or virtually and there is no obligation to attend every time. We won’t give you lots of actions to take away, we just need your feedback and ideas.