Tribute to Helen

There are times when professional life and personal life meet and this is one of those times. It is with huge sadness we heard of the death of Helen Priscott last week. Not only a valued colleague but a friend.

We talk to families about how to manage the death of those close to them but we’re now in a position of needing to manage our own feelings about the loss of one of our team.

Helen started working at SeeSaw in April 2020 and, despite us being in lockdown, she learned the role very quickly and was a natural. She cared very deeply about the children, young people and families she worked with and went out of her way to ensure they had the care, support and advice they needed. We all hugely respected her passion, dedication and professionalism and learned a great deal from her.

Her death is a loss to the team and the SeeSaw community as a whole, and our thoughts are with her family missing a caring, compassionate and loving wife and mother. I know they are very proud of the work she did at SeeSaw and the difference she made.

Helen’s family have set up a Much Loved page and if you would like to leave a comment, memory or tribute to Helen you can do it here 

Collective Grief

There are times when incidents in the news shock, sadden or appal us.  It doesn’t matter that we don’t know the people who died, or their family or friends, we can still experience a shared grief.  If these events trigger questions from your children or made you and your family remember other more personal losses our short blog offers some suggestions which may be useful

Winners of the Kings Service Award

SeeSaw has received The King’s Award for Voluntary Service. This is the highest honour a local voluntary group can be awarded in the UK and recognises the central importance of our volunteers to SeeSaw’s work. We’re thrilled on behalf of all the SeeSaw children and families supported over the years, our staff, and of course  our very special volunteers!

To read more from our Chair of Trustees about this wonderful award click here

Our service has changed

Our Service is Changing

Following a period of unprecedented demand , coupled with financial constraints and a reduction in our staffing capacity, we have reviewed our service offer to ensure we remain able to offer timely support to those who need it most. We continue to provide in-person and phone support for children and young people with parents, carers or siblings where there has been a terminal diagnosis, and for those who have experienced the death of a parent, carer or sibling. We also continue to offer case consultations to schools and professionals. We have increased the range of resources and information available on our website to ensure all families facing a bereavement have immediate access to self-serve support.

SeeSaw is committed to providing all services free of charge. To do this, we urgently need your support. Find out how you can help SeeSaw by visiting our ‘Get Involved’ page here.

The seesaw bus is launched!

The SeeSaw bus is now out and about on the roads of Oxfordshire!

We were thrilled to join with members from Jack FM to celebrate it’s official launch at the Oxford Bus Company. Big thanks to them both for making this possible with their Brand the Bus competition. We hope the bus will raise awareness of SeeSaw and enable more bereaved families access vital support.

Read more here Oxford Bus Company launch Brand the Bus! competition winning double decker – Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel