Our Helpline
Call our Freephone National Helpline on 08088 020 021 for expert advice and guidance on supporting a grieving child or young person after the death of a loved one.
Call our Helpline for support
If a young person you know is finding it hard to cope with their grief, and you want to help them, then give us a call. From parents to teachers, everyone and anyone who is supporting a grieving child can call our Freephone National Helpline on 08088 020 021. We are open between 9.00am and 5.00pm, Monday to Friday.
In order to protect our staff, our Helpline is currently operating a remote service. Please leave a message on our voicemail with your first name and a contact number (with area code) and a Helpline Practitioner will call you back from a withheld number as soon as possible.
Who will answer my call?
Our Helpline team all have wide knowledge, expertise and up-to-date experience of supporting bereaved children and their families. They are all professionally trained and will:
- Listen carefully
- Offer support
- Provide information
- Discuss options
- Make practical suggestions
- Help you work out how best to support the bereaved child.
Why do people call?
Our Helpline team receives calls from parents, grandparents, step-parents, carers, aunts, uncles, friends, teachers, health visitors, faith leaders, police officers, doctors and almost anyone else you can think of. About 55% of our calls come from family members and around 45% from professional seeking advice and guidance.
People call to discuss a huge range of concerns and questions from: ‘Why does my daughter keep asking where daddy is when he died two months ago?’ and ‘He wants to attend the funeral but his dad says he’s too young. What do you think?’ to ‘I’m concerned about a child I’m working with. What is the best way to offer support?’
We take the time to listen carefully to your worries and questions and help you to work out how best to support the bereaved young person. We won’t tell you what to do or what not to do, but we will share our knowledge of bereavement and our experience of working with bereaved children. We will give you ideas to think about and maybe try.
“After my husband took his life, I didn’t know how to tell my children what had happened. The Winston’s Wish helpline gave me ways to explain it to them in language they would understand. I’m so glad I called.”
Lisa, Parent