CYP Now - Are youth workers prepared for bereavement?

As we read almost weekly of the death of another young person through violent crime, it is perhaps easy to forget that young people die, albeit fairly rarely, from a range of causes. When those young people have been associated with youth work projects, the immediate question is what can, or should, youth workers do?

Youth workers have to consider a range of dimensions to any response. They may have to address the circumstances of a young person dying. In my own experience, the main causes were road traffic accidents and the consequences of substance misuse, though there were also terminal illnesses and suicide. Youth workers have to engage with a group of young people within which some will be familiar with bereavement but where others have never had this experience.

There will be at least four key moments that need to guide any response: when the news of death breaks, during the preparations for burial or cremation, immediately after these rituals and formalities, and in the months that follow. Although there will clearly be overlapping issues, these are distinctive moments, requiring separate consideration.

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