Sue Ryder and Winston’s Wish announce bereavement support partnership
Two of the UK’s leading national bereavement charities will become official partners and ensure that people, whatever their age, can receive true grief support when their lives are turned upside down by death and dying.
Sue Ryder provides bereavement support for those who are grieving and palliative and end-of-life care for people with a terminal illness. Winston’s Wish is the UK’s first children and young people’s bereavement charity, offering accessible grief support no matter who has died or how long they have been grieving.
Currently, Winston’s Wish offers bereavement support to children and young people aged 25 or under, and Sue Ryder focuses on offering advice and care to adults over 18 years of age who are facing death or navigating grief.
Each charity’s vision is that nobody is left to grieve or face death alone and both organisations champion digital support, such as online bereavement forums and counselling that reaches far and wide in communities throughout the UK.
This partnership means that when somebody with young people in their lives comes to Sue Ryder, seamless support will be offered to the children through Winston’s Wish, and once they reach adulthood, Sue Ryder will continue to offer grief support.
Letizia Perna, Deputy CEO and Director of Services at Winston’s Wish comments:
“This partnership between Sue Ryder and Winston’s Wish marks an important step forward in utilising digital support to meet the ever-changing and unique needs of those who are grieving.
“By joining forces, we have the chance to pioneer innovative, evidence-based approaches that truly place individual needs at the centre of every service. This partnership brings together two strong bereavement communities, creating a vital bridge that fosters a compassionate network offering genuine wraparound care for families affected by grief.
“I understand that grief has no timeline, and this collaboration means there is always somewhere to turn, with the assurance of quality support. Together, we are committed to delivering outcomes that matter - offering support as unique as each person’s grief and available at every stage of their journey.
“Together we can continue to transform bereavement support for people of all ages making accessing support not only seamless but helping people navigate their grief throughout the entirety of their lives through a holistic, individualised, needs-based approach of bereavement support.
Bianca Neumann, Clinical Director of Grief and Bereavement at Sue Ryder said:
“At Sue Ryder, we provide free-to-access online bereavement support and Grief Kind Spaces, which offer access to informal, in-person, peer-to-peer support across the country. We know that 88% of people feel alone in their grief and we want to make sure that no one has to face it alone. Like, Winston’s Wish, we believe in person-centred care and ensuring everyone can access the right support when they need it most.
“Together, we’re launching a strategic partnership to build a digital bereavement offering across the UK. Grief is an ongoing journey, by combining our expertise and reach, we can walk alongside people as they navigate life with grief in it – from those first steps towards understanding it and building grief literacy to exploring peer support and if needed accessing more formal ways of care.
“Ultimately, through this partnership, we want to change how society understands and responds to grief. By providing support earlier and to people throughout their lives, we can ease pressures on health and social care, while helping to prevent unresolved grief from developing into more serious mental health challenges.”
Alongside ensuring that grief support is available no matter the age of the person, both charities will explore providing mutual training to staff and work collaboratively to advocate for better grief support.
Together, the organisations will also look at the co-creation of training and content, drawing on real-life voices and decades of experience in supporting people with bereavement. Both Sue Ryder and Winston’s Wish are proactive about improving the lives of people who are grieving. The charities look forward to working together to gather further evidence and provide a platform for the voices of grieving people in the UK.
For more information and support
If you are seeking support with a terminal illness or post-bereavement and are over the age of 18, you can find out more information about our work and support.
If you are seeking support for yourself or somebody aged 25 or younger before or after someone dies, no matter who it is or how long since they died, you can find support on the Winston’s Wish website.
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