SeeSaw Young Ambassadors Call for Better Child Bereavement Data

Two of SeeSaw Grief Support’s Young Ambassadors recently visited the House of Commons to help raise awareness of the need for better support for bereaved children and young people across the UK. 

Young Ambassadors Aisha Campbell and Nettie Parish, accompanied by SeeSaw’s Communications Manager, Liv Webster, met with Freddie van Mierlo MP to share their personal experiences of grief and discuss the importance of collecting national data on child bereavement. 

Currently, there is no national government data showing how many children and young people are bereaved each year in the UK, and there is no statutory requirement to provide bereavement support. During the meeting, the Young Ambassadors explained how better data could help charities, local authorities and decision-makers understand the scale of need, plan services more effectively and ensure bereaved children can access support when they need it most. 

Drawing on their own experiences of receiving support from SeeSaw, Aisha and Nettie spoke about the difference timely and appropriate grief support can make, and why every bereaved child should have access to help regardless of where they live. 

Nettie said: 

“I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to express the impact that SeeSaw and effective, local grief support overall can have. Grief is life-changing at any age and undoubtedly changes the trajectory for young people’s lives, but this doesn’t have to mean something detrimental. Having the data to understand what children across the country are dealing with has to be an essential step in improving the outcomes for children and giving government and charity the right information to best support young people.” 

The visit included a tour of the House of Commons before the meeting with Freddie van Mierlo MP, who took time to listen to the Young Ambassadors’ experiences and learn more about the challenges facing bereaved children and young people. Freddie has written to the Minister for Children and Families regarding the collection of official statistics on bereaved children. 

In his letter, he said: 

“Through personal testimony from constituents, I am aware of how vital these services are and how highly valued they are by families who receive support. SeeSaw performs remarkable work in helping children to process grief and access the practical and emotional support they need.” 

We are incredibly grateful to Freddie van Mierlo MP for supporting this important conversation and helping to amplify the voices of bereaved children, young people and their families. 

By sharing their experiences and advocating for other bereaved young people, Aisha and Nettie are helping to ensure that children affected by grief are heard, understood and supported. We are incredibly proud of the difference they continue to make.