What health professionals need to do after a death at home

Offer a telephone support service for bereaved young people up to age 25, their families/ carers or individuals or families who have lost a child. 

Child Death Helpline is operated by a dedicated team of volunteers who are all bereaved parents. The helpline provides support to a parent who has lost a child of any age, under any circumstances, and however recently or long ago, we’re here to help. They also offer support to grandparents, siblings and the extended family, as well as professionals who have been impacted by the death of a child.

CRUSE Bereavement care helps people through bereavement with support, information and campaigning.

The Bereavement team supports family members, friends, children and carers through pre and post bereavement. The support is available to anyone who has experienced the death of a loved one who was cared for by the Hospice. 

CIRCLE Adult Bereavement Support provides help to bereaved adults in mid Essex, regardless of the cause of death or where the individual died. Each person is affected differently by bereavement, and the aim is to help with the impact of grief and provide support.

Yo-Yo is a community bereavement service for children and young people aged 4 to 18.

We offer a range of support options including:

• 1 to 1 support
• Counselling
• Music, Art and Play Therapy

There is a legal requirement that a death be registered within five working days. It is important to let the Register Office know if the funeral is to be held within 24 hours. The person registering the death must be able to provide some basic details of the person who has died. Please take the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death to the Register Office. It is also helpful to take the person’s birth and marriage certificates, passport or NHS Medical Card, although they are not essential.

Use the web link above to find your local register office by entering your postcode.

Grief Encounter is a national charity offering a free helpline and online support for children and young people wishing to access bereavement support.

They also offers counselling support in classrooms, online or at their premises in North London. A referral form is available on their website.

Jewish Bereavement Counselling Service has counsellors that understand the specific issues raised by bereavement within a Jewish context. This service is sensitive, aware and knowledgeable about social, cultural and religious needs.

St Luke's Hospice provide bereavement support to children and young people up to 19 years of age, who are experiencing a bereavement or have a family member or friend with a life limiting illness.

The Lullaby Trust raises awareness of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), provides expert advice on safer sleep for babies and offers emotional support for bereaved families.

The Muslim Bereavement Support Service supports Muslim women who are facing bereavement and/or are bereaved. They will speak with Muslim men and signpost them to appropriate bereavement support. 

Counsellors and psychotherapists can help with a variety of psychological issues, anxieties or concerns. 

The team can help with pre and post bereavement support for children and young people

The Dove Community Counselling Service team at St Luke's Hospice offer bereavement support to adults living with a life limiting illness, from diagnosis through to end of life or into survivorship. 

Bereavement support is also available to those who may have experienced a bereavement from suicide, sudden, traumatic or accidental deaths, or within the last 5 years due to a life limiting illness.

Stillbirth and neonatal death (Sands) is the leading stillbirth and neonatal death charity in the UK. They ensure that anyone affected by the death of a baby receives the best possible care and support for as long as they need it. 

Sands provides bereavement support services both nationally through its Freephone helpline, mobile app, online community and resources, and locally through a UK-wide network of around 100 regional support groups. 

Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide are a national charity providing dedicated support to adults who have been bereaved by suicide. The volunteers come from all walks of life but nearly all have been touched by suicide themselves, this experience enables them to connect with others.

The Bereavement Journey runs an online course three times per year for anyone in the UK who isn’t able to access an in-person course near to where they live, or who would prefer an online course.

The Compassionate Friends (TCF) is a charitable organisation of bereaved parents, siblings and grandparents dedicated to the support and care of other similarly bereaved family members who have suffered the death of a child or children of any age and from any cause.

Get support using the telephone helpline or online support groups.

The Good Grief Trust helps all those affected by grief in the UK and brings bereavement services together, to ensure that everyone receives the tailored support they need to move forward with their lives.

The trust is run by the bereaved, for the bereaved and aim to normalise grief and raise awareness of the impact of grief on a national platform. 

Widowed and young (WAY) is a UK charity that offers a peer-to-peer support network for anyone who's lost a partner before their 51st birthday – married or not, with or without children, inclusive of sexual orientation, gender, race and religion.

Winston's Wish is a national charity offering a free helpline and online support for children and young people wishing to access bereavement support.

They also provide resources and further training for schools and healthcare professions.

Young lives vs Cancer support those under 25 with cancer, and their families, to get the help they need during their cancer treatment and beyond, including bereaved families living with emotional pain. 

Young Minds is a national charity which supports both young people, their parents and loved ones through loss.