CHUMS offer specialist bereavement support to children and young people from 3½ up until their 26th birthday in Kent and Medway.

Specialist support is needed when a child or young person is experiencing complex grief or traumatic bereavement. This might mean that it is extra hard for them to manage the death and so it is having an enduring negative impact on everyday life. This might be because of the way the person died or because various other factors are disrupting their ability to grieve. Children and young people who need specialist support are likely to be experiencing difficulties with anxiety, low mood, overwhelming emotions or post traumatic symptoms related to their bereavement.

This might include:
• Prolonged periods of being low and withdrawn
• Anxiety that prevents them from doing things they would normally do
• High levels of frustration that impact on relationships and daily life
• Struggling with thoughts or images about the death
• Being unable to tolerate thinking or speaking about their bereavement.
This Specialist Bereavement Service is established from a wide range of experienced, trained professionals and volunteers. Support will be tailored to provide evidence-based interventions to children and young people through 1:1, group and drop-in sessions.

A referral can be made by parent, school, GP and social services.