Where to turn if you and your children are suffering a Bereavement - Written by Hertfordshire Cruse

Cruse Bereavement Care Hertfordshire

A voluntary support service for children and adults

The role of Cruse is to offer support, advice and information following bereavement. We are somewhere to turn when someone dies.

At Cruse we are:

·         Responsive – we respond promptly and personally to the individuals’ experience of grief and recognise there is no ‘normal’ or ‘right way’ to grieve.

·         Compassionate – we empathise with our clients’ feelings, care about their grief and work with them to alleviate their distress.

·         Respectful – we treat our staff and volunteers with respect, appreciate their contributions and value their diversity.

·         Supportive – we listen to bereaved people learn from their experience and work to promote their needs.

·         Innovative – we take pride in our professionalism and aim to develop, promote and lead the best practice of bereavement care.

Across the UK, in 2010, Cruse responded to nearly 100,000 requests for assistance; it helped 32,700 bereaved people through face-to-face support. This figure includes 2,500 children and young people under the age of 18. Our 5,000 volunteers gave well over half a million hours of their time to their work with bereaved people.

In Hertfordshire we received over 900 telephone calls during 2010/11 and visited 457 clients.  Our volunteers gave over 9,000 hours of their time to help the bereaved in Hertfordshire.

Cruse helps our Clients to deal with:

·         Losses of many kinds. For example, traumatic deaths, age related deaths, suicide, terminal illnesses and accidents

·         The loss of anyone close. For example family, friends, teachers, colleagues or school friends

·         Loss over any period of time – recent or not

·         Losses that happen in any location

This means that Cruse volunteers work with a wide range of clients. We have Clients aged from 5 years to 105 years! We also offer support to those with learning or physical disabilities. Military families too are able to approach Cruse for help and support, should they wish.  

In addition to the main Cruse website we have a bespoke website for kids. This can be found at http://www.rd4u.org.uk/. The RD4U website features helpful information and an interactive message board for sharing stories and supporting other kids and young people in a similar situation.

If someone feels as if they would like to talk to Cruse they simply need to call the national daytime helpline (0844 477 9400) or their local 24 hour answer phone helpline (numbers here). People may also be directed to Cruse by their GP, health worker, school or other interested party. However, as Cruse will want to speak directly to the person seeking support we recommend that the potential Client makes the first call.

Hertfordshire numbers are:

            Adults: 01707 278 389

            Children and young people: 01707 264 293

Clients come to Cruse because someone they love has died and they need someone who will listen and help them cope with their pain and grief. This support is usually offered in the Client’s home, or occasionally, in school; in a children’s centre or in a group setting. Once a Client has spoken to the helpline, if appropriate, they will be added to the waiting list. [1] A volunteer will then be allocated to the Client. The Client and volunteer will agree a mutually convenient time to meet. Each ‘session’ lasts up to an hour. Sessions are usually held weekly but are always arranged to suit the needs and the timetable of the Client.  The “average” number of sessions per Client is 6. Some Clients may need to see us just twice whilst others may continue their sessions of a longer period. For an example of how this works in practice, click here.

Cruse is a voluntary organisation and is funded, primarily, by public donations.

Cruse relies on its trained volunteers to deliver the bulk of its services.  In the Hertfordshire area, we have 70 volunteers working directly with Clients. It can be immensely rewarding work. Anyone can apply to be a volunteer for Cruse. You do not need to have qualifications or previous experience, but you do need to care about bereaved people and have time to offer. You will be given all the preparation, training and support you need. We welcome men and women of all ages, races, cultures and backgrounds.

All our volunteers have completed the Awareness in Bereavement Care course, which requires a total of 60 hours of study/attendance. You can also benefit from further Cruse training (which can include nationally recognised certification) and continuing personal and professional development. For more information on these courses, please contact your local branch. A list of our branches can be found by clicking here

Every hour of time given by a volunteer helps a child or adult face the future knowing that they are not alone.

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[1] The current waiting time in Herts for am allocated volunteer is circa 12 weeks.