A strategy for caring for families in bereavement

This study, which is part of the Department of Health initiative examining care for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families, aimed to create a strategy for such care for families in the Northern Region. Current service provision tends to consider the family and child during the life of that child, but we were interested to learn also of parents' views of services provided and their expectations after the child had died. Our research showed that there was a considerable unmet need for support during the child's illness and immediately after the child's death as well as in the longer term. While such support was available through a children's hospice and for certain conditions, it was not so universally.