Facing the death of your child

Suggestions and help for families, before and after their child dies. Written jointly with a bereaved parent and psychologist, to try to help with both practical and emotional issues. 

When a child dies, it simply does not make any logical sense. We do not expect to outlive our children. It is not the normal way of things. Suddenly, all the promise of that young life has gone. The sadness and grief can be overwhelming and it can feel as if nobody understands your pain and you are isolated in your own private world of agony.

This booklet tries to convey what we, and other parents and professionals, have found to be helpful or unhelpful at this very difficult time. We could not address all cultural, ethnic, spiritual and religious points of view, and acknowledge that this booklet is largely written from the Western perspective. Throughout this booklet, we refer to ‘parents’, by which we mean the main carers of the ill child.

The booklet has been designed in sections, which you can read at the right time for you. Each chapter has an introduction and a summary, so you can have enough information to help you choose when and if you want to read that chapter. 

You can order free physical copies of this publication by adding it to the cart, or you can download the digital version.

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