Support for when a child dies suddenly and unexpectedly
Posted: 13 December 2023
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How Forget Me Not Children's Hospice is working with West Yorkshire Police to provide vital support to families experiencing sudden and unexpected deaths in children (SUDIC).
Between 60 and 70 children die suddenly and unexpectedly in West Yorkshire each year. Causes include car accidents, fires and sudden illness, which can be very traumatic for families. As well as having to cope with their grief, families often find themselves having to navigate stressful paperwork and procedures such as coroners’ inquests and police investigations.
Forget Me Not Children's Hospice works with West Yorkshire police to provide families with the support they need to begin processing what has happened.
Outcomes
When a child dies suddenly and unexpectedly, West Yorkshire police contact the hospice. The hospice’s Snowflake Suite, a room that is specially designed to support families at the end of a child’s life, is made available.
The child who has died is brought to the Snowflake Suite so that families can say their goodbyes in privacy. Families can spend as much time as they need in the suite, which has its own kitchen facilities. While using the suite, they are given a separate entrance which is not used by anyone else.
The hospice has a dedicated key worker who will support families in the days, weeks and months following their bereavement. This includes:
Emotional support for parents
Therapeutic support for siblings
Explaining police processes
Attending meetings with the family
Attending inquests and court hearings
Liaising with other professionals
Helping families access further support.
Facilitators, challenges and advice
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Key facilitators
Because the hospice already provides a wide range of support to families at the end of a child’s life, it is ideally placed to support families experiencing sudden and unexpected deaths in children (SUDIC).
The hospice already had a room, the Snowflake Suite, which it is able to make available when needed.
Challenges
The service costs approximately £80,000 per year to run and the hospice does not receive any funding for it. This means the hospice has to raise charitable funds to keep the service running.
Tips and advice
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After a child dies suddenly and unexpectedly, their parents can find themselves having to cope with their own grief whilst also supporting other children. It’s important that parents can access bereavement support for themselves, but also be supported to comfort and support their children.
