It can be extremely difficult for children and young people when someone they know has died.

The death of a family member, friend or pet can leave your child feeling a whole range of emotions.

Grief is an emotional response to the loss of a person and is a process rather than an event. It can affect people in many ways, including mentally, physically, and socially.  It is important to let your child know that grief has no timescale and some feelings will always stay with us after someone has died, but how those feelings affect us may  change over time.

When someone experiences the death of someone they know, they need time and space to grieve and to help adjust to living without their physical presence in their life.  This can take longer for some than others.

Some emotions that may be felt could be:

• Shock
• Anger
• Sadness
• Fear
• Guilt
• Relief
• Numb/Nothing
• Anxious 
• Abandoned
• Lost

There are a number of support organisations to support children and young people who have experienced the death of someone special who was close to them.  Please see further details below: