Bereavement organisations

General

Cruse Bereavement Care

National charity that provides bereavement support, grief counselling and other help and resources for anyone in the UK who has lost a loved one. It also provides specialist support for young people after a loved one has died, and families and friends bereaved by suicide or alcohol and drug-related deaths.

Website: www.cruse.org.uk

Helpline: 0808 808 1677

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Children

Child Bereavement UK

Child Bereavement UK provides support and advocacy for children after a loved one dies and for families who have lost a child. Support services include face-to-face counselling at regional centres, a helpline and advice on supporting a child who is grieving, including how to tell them that a loved one has died or is going to die.

Website: www.childbereavementuk.org

Helpline: 0800 0288840

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Winston’s Wish

Winston's Wish helps children and families after the death of a parent, sibling or carer, including advice advice on how to talk to a child about death, funerals, and grief. It provides specific support for families who have lost someone because of serious illness, suicide or on military service.

Website: www.winstonswish.org.uk

Helpline: 08088 020 021

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Scotty’s Little Soldiers

Scotty's Little Soldiers helps children and families after the death of a parent who was a member of the regular and reserve British armed forces at the time of their death, or who died because of a condition from which they had to be medically discharged from the forces. Support includes holidays, activities and grief counselling in association with Winston’s Wish.

Website: www.scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk

Tel: 0800 092 8571

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Barnardo’s Child Bereavement Service (Belfast)

Barnardo’s bereavement service supports children and young people in Northern Ireland. It also provides a helpline for bereaved children elsewhere in the UK.

Website: www.www.barnardos.org.uk

Helpline: 028 9066 8333

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After the loss of a partner

WAY Widowed and Young

A network for men and women aged 51 and under whose spouse or partner has died. Support includes regional groups, social events, and advice on issues from coping with grief and parenting, to starting new relationships.

Website: www.widowedandyoung.org.uk

Tel: N/A

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Way Up

An online social network for people in their 50s and 60s whose spouse or partner has died.

Website: www.way-up.co.uk

Tel: N/A

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After the loss of a child

Compassionate Friends

Compassionate Friends helps parents, siblings and grandparents after the death of a child. Resources include telephone and online grief counselling, regional support groups, social events and advice on coping with grief after the death of a child.

Website: www.tcf.org.uk

UK Helpline: 0345 123 2304

Northern Ireland: 0288 77 88 016

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The Child Death Helpline

Helpline for parents, and other family members, who are grieving the death of a child of any age, from birth to adulthood. A telephone interpreting service is available to take calls in any language, but advance notice is required.

Website: www.childdeathhelpline.org.uk

Helpline: 0800 282 986

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Daddys with Angels

Social network for men after the death of child, including miscarriage, stillbirth, and adult children. The network provides closed Facebook groups for men, especially fathers, who have lost a child, and a separate one for families.

Website: www.daddyswithangels.org

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Miscarriage, stillbirth or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

SANDS: Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity

Bereavement support and grief counselling for anyone, including healthcare professionals, affected by the death of a baby. Resources include a helpline, support groups and online forum, booklets, memory boxes and an app.

Website: www.uk-sands.org

Helpline: 020 7436 5881

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Petals

Petals supports parents after the death of a child during pregnancy or birth. Support includes up to 6 hours of free grief counselling.

Website: www.petalscharity.org

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The Lullaby Trust

Bereavement support and grief counselling for parents after the sudden and unexpected death of a baby or young child, including specific support for families of children who were more than one year old when they died.

Website: www.lullaby.org.uk

Helpline: 0808 802 6868

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The Miscarriage Association

helpline, support groups and advice for anyone affected by miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy or molar pregnancy.

Website: www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk

Helpline: 01924 200 799

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Suicide

Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (SOBS)

Helpline, support groups and retreats for people over 18 years of age who have been bereaved by suicide, including specific help for LGBT+ people.

Website: www.uksobs.org

Helpline: 0300 111 5065

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Suicide Bereaved Network

Online forum and directory of support groups and grief counsellors for people who have lost a loved one to suicide in the UK.

Website: www.sbnwk.org.uk

Tel: 0300 999 0003

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Death by alcohol or drugs

BEAD

Support and grief counselling for people after the death of a loved one from alcohol and drug use provided by Cruse Bereavement Care, including specific advice on working with the police and dealing with social stigma.

Website: www.beadproject.org.uk

Helpline (Cruse Bereavement Care): 0808 808 1677

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LGBT+ people

LGBT+ people who have lost a loved one can have additional needs, especially if their own or the family of a partner who has died does not accept their relationship. Several larger organisations, such as Cruse Bereavement Care, Marie Curie, and Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide provide dedicated bereavement support for LGBTQ+ people. There are also several specialist charities and helplines that provide support for all issues that affect the LGBT+ community, including bereavement and grief.

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Switchboard: LGBT+

A helpline for LGBT+ that takes calls 10am-10pm on any issue 365 days a year, on any issue, including bereavement and grief.

Website: www.switchboard.lgbt

Helpline: 0300 330 0630

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London Friend

An organisation that provides support and counselling for the LGBT community in London, on all issues, including bereavement and grief.

Website: www.londonfriend.org.uk

Tel: 020 7833 1674

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LGBT Health and Wellbeing

A charity that supports the LGBT+ community in Scotland on all issues, including bereavement and grief.

Website: www.lgbthealth.org.uk

Helpline: 0300 123 2523

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Bereavement support for people with learning difficulties

Unfortunately, at this time there are no dedicated bereavement support groups for people with learning difficulties who have lost a loved one, but advice and resources, including story books, are available. Many organisations that support people with specific conditions, such as autism and Downs’ Syndrome, have produced guides explaining death and grief to them. MacMillan Cancer Support have produced a guide to going to a funeral for people with learning disabilities.

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Other helpful organisations

Brake

A helpline for families and individuals who have lost a loved one in a traffic accident.

Website: www.brake.org.uk/

Helpline: 0808 8000401

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Coroners' Court Support Service

An organisation that provides advice, guidance and emotional support to families who are attending a coroner's inquest into the death of their loved one. Volunteers greet bereaved families at the Coroner's Court, show them the facilities and explain the procedures, as well as accompanying them throughout the inquest.

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There is also a helpline that families can call for advice before attending an inquest.

Website: www.coronerscourtssupportservice.org.uk/

Helpline: 0300 111 2141

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Farming Community Network

A helpline for the farming community, that takes calls between 7am and 11pm 365 days a year, on any issue, including bereavement and grief after the death of a loved one.

Website: fcn.org.uk

Helpline: 03000 111 999

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Muslim Bereavement Support Service

Helpline for Muslim women who have lost a loved one, in accordance with Qur’an and Ahadeeth, staffed by female volunteers, and bereavement support is available in multiple languages.

Website: www.mbss.org.uk

Tel: 020 3468 7333

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Support After Murder and Manslaughter (SAMM)

Support and counselling for families who have lost a loved one because of murder or manslaughter. Resources include a helpline, bereavement retreats and seminars.

Website: www.samm.org.uk

Helpline: 0845 872 3440

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