Supporting care-experienced students during Grief Awareness Week
Grief is a difficult process for everyone but it can be particularly challenging for those with care experience. Ahead of Grief Awareness Week (2-8 December), we look at why this is the case and consider some of the ways in which you can support care-experienced individuals.
Bereavement can be why people are in care
Go Higher West Yorkshire (GHWY) aims to raise awareness of different types of care. One of these is kinship care, which is where an individual may end up in the care of a relative or friend following a death in the family.
GHWY’s 13 Higher Education (HE) providers have all committed to a common definition of care-experienced, which includes kinship care. This was developed with input from the Kinship charity, which supports those in formal or informal kinship care arrangements.
You can help care-experienced students by signposting to our common definition. This helps individuals to make the right choice of HE provider for them, rather than basing their decision on whether they meet varying definitions.
Grief can make the holidays a difficult time
Holidays can be a particularly difficult time for care-experienced individuals who are grieving. Many people will ask questions like ‘are you going home for the holidays?’ or ‘what plans have you got with your family?’ Individuals may not be comfortable telling others they do not have family support, or a home to return to, due to a sense of stigma.
You can be an ally to care-experienced students by considering the language you use and making it more inclusive for those who do not have a family network.
Holidays can also mean isolation for students, as many HE facilities and support services close or run reduced operating hours during these periods. This isolation and lack of social contact can be especially challenging for individuals who may have strong memories of holidays spent with their family.
You can help care-experienced students during holidays by signposting them to external support or sharing information on events held over holidays, such as Christmas meals and jobs/volunteering opportunities. This can help individuals to find different ways to celebrate and create new happy memories.
We do not talk about grief and bereavement
One reason that Grief Awareness Week exists is to start conversations around grief and bereavement. As a society, we tend not to talk about these experiences.
The theme for this year’s campaign is shine a light to raise awareness of bereavement services. You could help by holding a grief café, where people can come together. These can help to normalises grief and support care-experienced students, who may already feel their care experience makes them different.
You could also signpost to bereavement services, as care-experienced students may find it helpful to talk if they do not have family support.
Grief never really goes away
Just as the impact of care-experience has no expiry date, the same can be said for grief. Milestones such as birthdays, Mother’s/Father’s Day, moving away from home, and graduating from HE may bring grief to the surface many years after the bereavement. You can support by asking about their lives and celebrating their success/achievement with them. This can be as simple as a ‘good luck’ on day of driving test or a ‘happy birthday’.
Conclusion
All students should be supported with grief and bereavement. Care-experienced individuals may not have anyone close to them, so it is especially important that you are prepared to lend a listening ear. You can also take part in awareness campaigns, such as National Grief Awareness Week, to highlight what help is available.
Tahera Mayat, GHWY Collaborative Outreach Officer
