Prime Childcare Bereavement policy

We, at Prime Tuition, understand the importance of providing support to children, families, staff, during and after bereavement. The way in which children and young people are responded to when someone important in their lives dies has a profound effect on their future ability to manage their own lives. The caring and supportive our institute environment has a key role to play and we recognise that every situation is unique and demands careful handling, with the wishes of the pupil or family being of paramount importance.

This policy is not prescriptive; different strategies and procedures maybe necessary in different circumstances. These must take into account the age of the pupils concerned, the relationship the bereaved had with the deceased and the relevant context in which the bereavement has occurred. All mentions of ‘the family’ in this policy, refer to the family of the deceased individual. The wishes of the family will always be considered when carrying out any of the actions outlined in this policy.

Rationale: Every 22 minutes in the UK a parent of dependent children dies, leaving about 41,000 bereaved children each year. Many more are bereaved of a grandparent, sibling, friend or other significant person, and, sadly, around 12,000 children die in the UK each year.

Within our Institute there will almost always be some recently bereaved children who are struggling with their own situation – or sometimes the entire Institute is impacted by the death of a member of staff or a pupil.

We would hope to not encounter such circumstances, but the statistical inevitability of such an occurrence implies the necessity of having a Bereavement Policy in place in order that we might be proactive, rather than reactive, when responding to these sensitive situations. Empathic understanding in the familiar and secure surroundings of the Tuition Centre may be all the bereavement support some children – or staff – require, though referral to more specialist support may be a consideration where the impact of grief is more complex.

Roles and responsibilities:

The role of the Head of Department/Department Supervisor:

• To have overall responsibility for the implementation of the policy
• To be first point of contact for family/child concerned
• To inform all staff and arrange for the children to be informed, as appropriate, in line with the family’s wishes.
• To keep the management up to date and fully informed as appropriate.

The role of Tutoring Staff:

• To support the Head of Department/Department Supervisor in carrying out the procedures outlined in this policy.
• To support staff, children and parents following a death, as directed by the Head of Department/Department Supervisor.
• To support other staff members with communicating the news of a death.
• Children that had a long-term and/or close relationship with the individual who has died.

Children with SEND

• Children who have difficulty managing their emotions or behaviour The first few days As far as is possible, it is best to have as little disruption as possible to the institute timetable and institute life should try to go on as normal, but with flexibility as necessary.
• If it is a Tutor who has died, the class will be covered by another Tutor from within the Tuition Centre whom the children know well and feel comfortable talking to.
• Many bereaved children and young people find returning to institute as soon as possible a welcome refuge of normality after the chaos of emotion at home and their return should be as fuss free as possible. A bereaved child will require enormous support but, as far as possible, institute life should go on as normally as possible. A bereaved member of staff will need to be supported to have the appropriate amount of compassionate leave.
• Support for Pupils and Staff In supporting both the bereaved child and the other pupils, staff will act sensitively at all times, seeking advice when necessary, from both the Head teacher and the families involved.

The class teacher will be the first line of support for the child but should the child need extra support away from the classroom, extra support will be provided. E.g. a child finds it difficult to stay in the classroom when they are upset, it may be necessary to identify with them a suitable place, where they can go for some quiet time with an adult they trust. Both Tuition Centre and families need to work together to note changes in behaviour and if necessary counselling from outside agencies may be sought. Children and young people bereaved through suicide or violent death are likely to need skilled help and support but the informal support of familiar adults is still vital. Supporting a bereaved child is very upsetting and emotionally demanding for staff and therefore informal support between colleagues is vital. Opportunities to discuss feelings and reactions with colleagues are necessary and important. Support and counselling is available to any member of staff and can be arranged through the Head teacher. If the Tuition Centre is closed when the death occurs we will endeavour to continue to follow the points outlined above sensitivity and taking into account the wishes of the family; communication with the family is vital. Careful consideration will be given to how the news of the death is communicated and by what medium if we are in a situation where we cannot have face-to-face contact with pupils, staff and the Institiute.