A university-accredited programme for professionals supporting bereaved children and young people
For nearly 30 years, this respected programme has supported practitioners across the UK to deepen their understanding of childhood bereavement and strengthen the support they offer to children and families.
Now hosted by St Christopher’s, the course brings together a small, carefully selected cohort of professionals for 10 months of specialist learning, reflection and peer exchange.
Places on the course are limited and we aim to bring together a small, carefully selected cohort of practitioners.
Please note the course is only for learners based in the UK.
Applications for 2026 closed at the end of June but please do register your interest if you would like to be contacted about the next cohort.
Why apply?
Working with bereaved children and young people requires sensitivity, skill and a deep understanding of how grief is experienced at different stages of development.
This programme offers a rare opportunity to step back from day-to-day practice and develop your knowledge, confidence and impact alongside others working in this specialised field.
Participants will:
- Develop a deeper understanding of childhood bereavement theory and practice
- Strengthen confidence in supporting children, young people and families
- Learn from experienced practitioners and researchers
- Join a valuable professional network in a specialist field
- Gain 40 university credits accredited by Middlesex University
This programme is designed for practitioners who are already supporting children and young people where bereavement is part of their work.
You may recognise yourself in some of the following:
- You work with children, young people or families affected by loss
- You want a deeper understanding of how children experience grief
- You are looking for evidence-based approaches to support your work
- You value reflective practice and learning alongside others
- You are interested in strengthening or developing bereavement support in your organisation
Participants come from a range of backgrounds, including education, counselling, health and social care.
You do not need to work in a specialist bereavement service to apply.
Please note the course is only for learners based in the UK.
Direct Practice: Working with Bereaved Children, Young People and Families:
- Pre-bereavement
- Theories of bereavement
- Child development; loss through the life-cycle; the family context
- Attachment theory and bereavement
- Children bereaved by a traumatic death
- Assessment issues
- Working with individuals, with families and in groups
- Working within intersectionality
- Brief versus extended interventions, telephone work and online support
Context and Framework:
- Service development: assessing need and setting up a service
- Setting standards for service delivery: record-keeping; monitoring and maintaining
quality; working with volunteers - Supervision and support
- Inter-agency working; referral to other services
- Safeguarding
- Children’s Mental Health
- Impact and implications of Covid-19 for bereavement services
- Training issues for service providers: resources; methods; reflective practice
Learning outcomes for Level 6
At the end of the course, the successful Level 6 student will be able to:
- Critically apply perspectives gained from bereavement theories to their practice with bereaved children and young people, including an understanding of the needs of bereaved children according to their developmental stages.
- Assess the needs of the bereaved child/young person within their family and school systems and identify children whose needs indicate onward referral to specialist services.
- Identify different resources available for work with bereaved children.
- Demonstrate an awareness of working with underserved communities, and the impact of difference and disadvantage upon experiences of bereavement and services.
- Identify the key issues involved in the administration of a childhood bereavement service and understand the procedures to maintain services to a safe and high standard.
- Demonstrate a working knowledge of a range of agencies with whom it might be appropriate to interact and a confidence with multidisciplinary working.
- Make suggestions for: evaluating a service, obtaining user feedback and different user participation models.
Applications close Midnight on Sunday 28 June 2026
Interview dates Tuesday 7 July & Wednesday 8 July 2026 (online)
Notification of place w/c 13 July 2026
- Days 1 & 2 Thurs 17 and Fri 18 September (in-person, Sydenham, London)
- Day 3 Fri 16 October (online)
- Day 4 Fri 13 November (online)
- Day 5 Fri 11 December (online)
- Day 6 Fri 15 January 2027 (in-person, Sydenham, London)
- Day 7 Fri 12 February 2027 (online)
- Day 8 Fri 12 March 2027 (online)
- Day 9 Fri 16 April 2027 (online)
- Days 10 & 11 Thurs 13 and Fri 14 May 2027 (in-person, Sydenham, London)
Fiona Walkingshaw
At the end of the application form we ask you to please write a supporting statement (up to 500 words). Please ensure you have your supporting statement prepared and the details of your referees to hand, as once you have started the form you can only submit it once.
If selected for interview you are also asked to write a review (up to 500 words) of the Dawson et al (2023) article that can be accessed here. We ask that you evaluate the article, reflect on the impact that reading it had upon you as well as any insights you gained about working in childhood bereavement. This review is to prepare you for the type of thinking that will be encouraged as part of the course. The review must be sent to education@stchristophers.org.uk before your interview date.
Please email education@stchristophers.org.uk if you wish to receive a PDF of the application questions.
