Following the death of a child in your place of work, a professionally facilitated debrief session provides an opportunity for your team, as a peer group, to think about and process the emotional impact of this difficult element of your work.

The death of a baby or child can be distressing for staff involved and often leaves us feeling drained or upset. The purpose of a debrief is for all involved to have an opportunity to process their emotions and to acknowledge the challenges you face as a peer group, and, perhaps most importantly, to support each other.

All staff involved in the child’s care should be invited to attend, ideally within a week or two after the death.

‘It is just as normal for us to have a grief response, when a child dies, as it is for the family’ – Colin Murray Parkes OBE, Lifetime President of Cruse Bereavement Care