ST CLARES Hospice has released a new, free resource to help adults to talk to their children about death and dying.

The Hastingwood-based charity’s free Guide, ‘How to talk to children about death’, has been launched to coincide with Children in Need appeal week. St Clare’s dedicated service for children and young people is funded by a major grant from BBC Children in Need, and the Hospice aims to support parents on a wider scale through the release of their free resource for parents.

Joanne Feld, St Clare’s Children, Young People and Family Therapist, said: “This Children in Need week, we’d like to encourage parents and guardians to talk more openly about life, death and dying with their children and families.

Joanne Feld, St Clare’s Children, Young People and Family Therapist

She continued: “We know that sometimes, adults may hesitate to bring children into conversations about death and dying. They may be trying to protect them, but in fact, we cannot always protect our children from death. They encounter it all the time – whether it be a dead insect in the garden or a mouse the cat brought in, or something very personal like the fact that their grandparent is going to die soon.”

To promote the new resource, St Clare has produced a film with members of the Hospice’s staff team talking to their own children about death.

Joanne said: “Children deserve honest answers to their questions about death, but we as adults can sometimes feel worried about saying the wrong things. That’s why St Clare’s has created a new Guide, ‘How to talk to kids about death’.

“Our aim is to offer support to adults to feel more comfortable to approach the subject of death and dying, and to engage in meaningful conversations with their children and family. As a Hospice, we believe that by talking to children about death and dying, we can help to demystify death, thereby alleviating fear and anxiety around it for future generations.

“When we are able to talk about death more openly, and see it as a natural part of life, we can then feel more empowered to live our life to the fullest!”

To download the free guide on ‘How to talk to children about death and dying’ click below

Patient & Family Support