CHILD BEREAVEMENT IN HUMBERSIDE PRIMARY-SCHOOLS

This short report presents the findings of an investigation into child bereavement in Humberside primary schools. The research was targeted at an area that can be both taboo and all too frequently overlooked. T he study sought to answer a number of basic questions such as frequenc y of child bereavement, the structures schools have to cope with berea vement and how they rated the subject in these busy times. The problem s schools encountered with bereaved children, from where they sought h elp, and how this help was rated, were also questions that the researc h intended to answer. The bereavement training received, and the berea vement training that was perceived to be needed, were also issues exam ined. Surprisingly, it was found that over 70 per cent of schools in t he study had a bereaved child on roll. Schools rated the area of berea vement highly, especially those with a recent bereavement, and sought help particularly from the church and social services. The majority of schools with a recent bereavement reported psychological or physical problems with bereaved children, and a 'training gap' was identified, as was a need for a resource base.