Helps and hindrances in children's bereavement: The children's perspective.

No such child-centred search into child bereavement has been undertaken with young children in the United Kingdom, a major gap in a key issue for the welfare of up to two million children under 18 at any one time who have lost a close attachment figure. This study is intended to make a contribution to our knowledge by seeking to learn from the experiences of children 6-12 years who have lost a parent (other than through murder, suicide or Major Incident) using semi-structured interviews in a qualitative study.Comparisons are drawn from the children themselves on such issues as anticipatory grief, how the news of death was given and received, participation in rites of passage, and the bereavement care received from home, school, or other outside agency. Comparisons are also made with practices in the United States where child-centred studies have been carried out. (Silverman 2000, Worden 1996) In addition to the special ethical issues involved in research with children, this study also examines difficulties experienced in attempting to set up a child consultation group, and the reasons given by gatekeepers (NHS, parents, teachers, Social Services and counselling organisations) for refusing access to children, with evidence as to how these and exclusions from grief rituals can hinder child development and retard self-esteem.The past few years have seen criticism of the lack of evidence for increasing funding to government or voluntary organisations for helping such children. This is a limited study that I hope will provide a basis for further investigation and also lead towards inclusion of death and bereavement in the Schools' National Curriculum.