Families
Simon Says are here to help families who are supporting grieving children and young people
Caring for a bereaved child or young person can be challenging especially while coping with your own grief. How do you talk to your child about what has happened? How may your child react? How do you know if your child is coping ok? Simon Says is here to walk beside you and your family during this difficult time.
Grief is a natural response to death. Most children don’t need specialised grief counselling or for you to be a superhero! What they need is to feel secure, loved, and cared for, while navigating their feelings gently, one day at a time.
Whilst we can’t take away the pain of bereavement, with appropriate support and information, children and young people can be helped to understand what has happened and gradually encouraged to rebuild their lives and have hope for the future.
We can support you in the following ways
Families and professionals can call 023 8064 7550 for advice Monday to Friday, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Knowing how children and young people grieve differently to adults and what they understand at different ages and stages, will help you to know how best to support your child or young person on their grief journey.
Simon Says hosts 8 monthly support groups across Hampshire for children and young people up to the age of 18 years.
Our support groups provide children and families with the chance to come together and navigate their bereavement journey, guided by volunteers through organised activities, games, and stories.
We warmly invite you to call our helpline, our experienced volunteers are here to listen and provide advice. They can also register you and your child/ren, so you can join one of our groups whenever you are ready.
Although our Helpline is here to support professionals as well as families, we do not accept referrals directly from professionals. We believe it’s important for families to get in touch when they are ready, to provide their details directly to the charity and to be in control of registering for their children. Find out more about our support groups here.
