Specialist Family Support and Bereavement Team

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The specialist family support service offers a high level of psychosocial and emotional interventions by experienced qualified practitioners. 

The service has two distinct working areas: specialist family support and professional support:

Specialist family Support: provides a comprehensive, family centred and holistic service to children, young people and families affected by malignant disease, life limiting illness and/or childhood bereavement, following an expected or sudden death within a family. The work entails individual family work, liaison work with other professionals and children and family support days held throughout the year.

This work can be short or long term intensive work depending on individual needs.

The team are an expert resource for other professionals from all agencies: Acute and community health services, children’s services and the voluntary sector. They provide advice and support that ensures the wellbeing of professionals by offering individual and group supervision / debrief sessions, facilitating teaching / training in all aspects of serious illness and childhood bereavement and the provision of information and guidance.

Service Provision

  • Initial assessment of child, young person and family following telephone enquiry.
  • Provision of either information or initial support and advice through home visits to parents / carers upon referral.
  • Individual work with bereaved children and their families.
  • Group work with bereaved children and their families.
  • Telephone advice, guidance, information and support for parents/carers and professionals. This can be supported by a range of publications, resources and/or educational films.
  • Support programmes for schools.
  • Individual tailor-made training sessions and consultancy are provided for professionals based on all sites of United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Community Health services, as well as any other organisations who support children and families affected by life-limiting illness.
  • Facilitation of debriefing sessions for all staff within United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust departments involved in the provision of palliative care and / or the death of a child(ren).

Family Interventions include:

  • Supporting children and families to understand serious illness or death and what it means to them.
  • Encouraging and supporting children and families to share and understand the feelings, thoughts and individual ways of coping with changes and / or loss.
  • Encouraging and supporting children and families to talk openly and honestly with each other about the illness. Or about the person who has died.
  • Supporting families to find ways of remembering the person who has died and to encourage and support children and families to talk openly with each other about the person who has died.
  • Provide opportunities for children and families to meet others who have had similar experiences and may be experiencing serious illness and life changes.

Who to contact

Contact Name
Ruth Dones
Contact Position
Team Leader
Telephone
01476 464259 01476 464259
E-mail
ruth.dones2@ulh.nhs.uk
Notes

The  team supports bereaved children and families throughout the whole county of Lincolnshire.

Where to go

Address
C/O Kingfisher Unit, Grantham & District Hospital
Manthorpe Road
Grantham
Lincolnshire
Postcode

NG31 8DG

View NG31 8DG on a map
Notes

Service delivered in the child’s own home, school settings and other community settings and via telephone consultation.

Other Details

Availability

Referral required
Professional Referral
Referral Details

Anyone  affected by the death of another child or close family member.

NB: The service does not provide:

  • An individual counselling service.
  • Support for couples affected by still birth and miscarriages.
  • Support for families affected by the death of an extended family member i.e. aunts, uncles, grandparents (unless they were the main care giver for the child/young person.

Team contact via Administration 01476 464786

Specific age range
All ages

Local Offer

Description

Safeguarding training, Equality and Diversity, Dignity in care, Mental capacity. Specialist training relevant to role.

Experience with:

  • Children and families facing the death of a child whatever their medical condition.
  • Bereaved children and families
Local Offer Age Bands
Early Years (0-4 years)
Primary (4-10 years)
Secondary (11-16 years)
SEN Provision Type
Universal

This service is listed for your information. Its inclusion on the Family Services Directory does not imply endorsement, approval or recommendation by Lincolnshire County Council. For more information, go to Terms & Conditions

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