Please help the Hospice of the Valleys to be there to support children and young people with their grief through our bereavement support and Smiling Through Sadness project. Make grief everyone's business. Thank you.

No child is too young to notice when an important person in their life is no longer there. Young children can be profoundly affected and not know how to express their feelings. Frequently, adults, knowing how painful bereavement can be, attempt to protect children by telling them little or nothing about what has happened. Children will sense something is wrong from the behaviour of those around them.

Children need clear, simple explanations and the reassurance that the death of one person does not mean that others will die. They need to know that they are still loved and will be taken care of, and they require as much security and routine in their lives as possible.

They need to know that crying is OK for adults and children but sadness does not last forever and it is OK to have fun too.