This Thursday, November 17 is Children's Grief Awareness Day, a day set aside to help us all become more aware of the needs of grieving children and of the benefits they obtain through the support of others. It is also an opportunity to make sure that grieving children receive the support they need by exploring resources you can offer to the families you serve.
Funeral Service Foundation Youth & Funerals Toolkit
The resources in the Youth & Funerals toolkit are designed to help families answer the question, “Should my child attend the funeral?” and help families understand the role of funerals and memorialization in the lives of youth.
The Youth & Funerals resources are ideal to share with families in the arrangement conference. Created by funeral service and grief experts and offered in English and Spanish, the resources also serve as excellent tools to build support and compassion around grieving families. Share with hospice and grief organizations, take them to schools, or even keep copies with you share as needed when you’re out in the community.
The materials are available at no cost from the Funeral Service Foundation.
The Youth & Funerals materials can also be found on NFDA’s Remembering A Life consumer education website - consider adding a to your funeral home's website or sharing a link on social media on November 17.
Brochure: Helping Children Through Their Grief
The Remembering A Life brochure Helping Children Through Their Grief assists adults in identifying and understanding the different signs of a child's grief so they can help them through this time. This brochure is available in English and Spanish. Order through the NFDA Resource Store or by calling NFDA at 800-228-6332.
Books
The NFDA Resource Store, www.nfda.org/Store, has a wide range of books to help the families you serve. From books like What Do We Tell the Children? Talking to Kids About Death & Dying for adults to A Mural for Mamita for children, there are so many items to choose from. Explore your options and place an order online or call NFDA at 800-228-6332 for suggestions and make a purchase.
Online Learning Couse
NFDA’s online learning course Understanding a Child's Grief, presented by Dr. Alan Wolfelt, offers a primer on childhood grief for funeral home owners, directors and staff-those who have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of grieving children as "gatekeepers of death and grief care" in their communities. When you have completed this online course, you will have gained an understanding of: the unique ways in which grieving children think, feel and behave, the six basic needs of all grieving children and common misconceptions about grief and mourning in children. You can earn 3 CE hours by completing this course. Click here to learn more or to purchase the course.