What support does the Welsh Government offer to schools and school governing boards when there is a bereavement of either a pupil or a staff member?
Support for emotional and mental well-being is a priority area for the Welsh Government. In March 2021, we published the statutory framework on embedding a whole-school approach to emotional and mental well-being for maintained schools’ governing bodies and local authorities, to support them in assessing the well-being needs of the whole school population. A total of £13.6m of Welsh Government funding is being provided in 2024-25 to support delivery of the Whole School Approach.
Grant funding to local authorities encompasses provision of school counselling services which could include bereavement support, along with allocations for training and interventions. Counsellors can provide support for learners, school employees and potentially governors, however, the intervention strategies implemented by schools will vary as needs will differ depending on the challenges presented. It is the school’s responsibility to ensure that the chosen interventions address the needs of their learners and staff.
The National Framework for the Delivery of Bereavement Care was published in 2021. The Framework sets out how in Wales we can respond to those who are facing, or have experienced, a bereavement. It includes core principles, minimum bereavement care standards and a range of actions to support regional and local planning.
We are working with stakeholders to implement the children and young people’s bereavement pathway to provide a consistent approach to bereavement care and support across Wales. The National Bereavement Steering Group is working with health boards, local authorities, and the third sector to ensure that the bereavement framework is implemented consistently and at pace.
We are providing a £3m Bereavement Support Grant to 21 third sector organisations, over the three-year period 2021-24 (£1m per annum). This has been extended for a further year until March 2025 (927k per annum). Grant recipients include organisations that provide tailored bereavement support to children and young people, and organisations such as 2 Wish, who provide support to those who have lost a child or young person up to and including 25 years of age through sudden or traumatic death.
In addition, £420k (£60k each) has been made available to health boards on a recurrent basis to help with bereavement co-ordination and implementation of the bereavement care standards.