Communicating with Children When a Parent is at the End of Life

Communicating with children and young people when a parent is at the end of life is probably one of the hardest things that an adult will ever have to do. Our experience at the Child Bereavement Charity is that adults do not know where to start and the resultant silence is deafening.

The central theme in this book is that professionals can help families to “unlock the silence”. The book mirrors good practice with its clear approach, presented in manageable chunks, with space for the reader to reflect and absorb information before moving on to the next bit.

The consequences for young people of not being communicated with are powerfully illustrated using case vignettes, “practice points” and reflective exercises. These also make it easy for the reader to apply the book to their own work setting. The importance of not just listening to, but really hearing, young people is also stressed, as is their need for information and facts to make “sense of the senseless”. It contains sections related to a wide variety of communication, including the spoken language, creative media, books and play.

This book is an essential resource for all professionals working in the palliative care field; indeed, any adult whose work will bring them into contact with a young person whose parent is dying.

Reviewed by Jill Adams, Child Bereavement Charity

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