Bereavement Services Children’s Health Queensland

Bereavement Services Children’s Health Queensland offers compassionate and culturally safe care for families who have suffered the devastation of the death of their child. Care extends to a family’s community of support, including extended family and friends, schools, employers and anyone else important in the family’s life. We believe the very best care and support is provided within a family’s community. Bereavement Services CHQ provides an additional layer of support throughout the enormous life adjustment that takes place for families and their community following the death of a child.

Bereavement Services CHQ provides support for families in the following ways:

• A contact point for conversation, guidance and referral
• A suite of service recommendations in the community
• Recommended books for all age groups and family members
• A quarterly newsletter Living Forward
• CHQ Blog – for articles of interest
• The Annual Remembrance Ceremony
• Education and advocacy events
• Opportunities to connect with other bereaved families
• Community Advisory Group
• Counselling Clinic for Bereaved Families – under development
• Peer Mentoring Program – under development

Who can access this service?

Bereaved families

Any family whose child was cared for at Queensland Children’s Hospital or was connected to Children’s Health Queensland via a state-wide service and whose child has died.

Community of support

Any community member who is walking alongside a family whose child was cared for at Queensland Children’s Hospital or was connected to Children’s Health Queensland via a state-wide service and whose child has died.

Catchment area

Bereavement Services CHQ is a state-wide service. Care is extended to bereaved family members (see Who can access this service above) and their community of support throughout Queensland and Northern New South Wales.

Do I need a referral?

No, you do not need a referral to access support through Bereavement Services CHQ. All families whose child was cared for through Queensland Children’s Hospital or Children’s Health Queensland and has died can access our care.

Information for health professionals

Bereavement Services CHQ offers information, resources and mentoring support for health professionals throughout Queensland and New South Wales. Our goal is to ensure all health professionals throughout our service catchment area feel confident and supported in walking alongside a family whose child has died.

Bereavement Services CHQ provides support for health professionals in the following ways:

• A contact point for conversation, guidance and referral options
• A suite of service recommendations in the community
• Recommended books for all age groups and family members
• A quarterly newsletter living forward
• Education and advocacy events

Useful links

Fact sheets related to grief and bereavement for children and adults can be accessed at the Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement.

Resources/fact sheets

For employers

• Bereavement in the Workplace
• How to be a Compassionate Employer

For schools

• The bereaved school community
• Schools and trauma
• The Dougy Center School and Community Toolkit (USA information)
• Child Bereavement UK: Supporting a Bereaved Pupil (UK information)

For professionals

Resources for professionals working in the context of loss, grief and bereavement can be accessed at the Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement.

• The Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement: Education and Training
• Working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Grief And Bereavement: A Resource For Workers
• Self Care for Counsellors/Workers in the Helping Professions
• Good Grief

Our team

Bereavement Services Children’s Health Queensland Coordinator

Dr Leigh Donovan, PhD, BSW, Churchill Fellow

Bereavement Services, Paediatric Palliative Care Service Coordinators

Alyson Gundry, BSW, Grad Cert Bereavement Counselling and Intervention
Sophie Weeks, BSW

Living Forward

Living Forward is the quarterly newsletter of Bereavement Services CHQ. Each newsletter contains information on grief and bereavement, family stories, events updates, service information and community resources.

If you have a story that you would like to share in Living Forward please email CHQ_bereavement@health.qld.gov.au