The Early Days Project: parents’ experiences of the early days of bereavement and the support they receive from children’s hospices

This project is about parents’ experiences of the very early days of bereavement and
how the support receiving during those early days affects longer-term grief processes
and outcomes. 

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Related links

Publications and presentations from the project are available from the York Research Database

Project website

This research sits within our Evaluation: interventions research theme. Read about our research themes.

For more information contact Bryony Beresford.

SPRU research team

External collaborators

Project summary

The ways parents are supported towards the end and after their child’s life can profoundly affect the grieving process. Within children’s hospices cold bedrooms, cooling blankets, and cuddle cots are provided to enable families to be close and have unrestricted access to their child in the early days after they have died. Such facilities are thought to support families in the initial stages of grief. However, there is wide variation in the ways children’s hospice offer such facilities and very little is known about parents’ experiences.

The first stage of the project is a survey all UK children’s hospices about the cold bedroom/cooling blanket/cuddle cot facilities they provide and practices around their use. The second, main, stage involves interviews with parents who have used these facilities - either in the hospice or at home - about their experiences of using these facilities and the early days of bereavement. Findings and their implications for practice will be relevant and useful for families, children’s hospices, specialist palliative care and other NHS services who are beginning to offer this provision, NHS England, and the research community.

Additional information

May 2018 - December 2020

Related links

Publications and presentations from the project are available from the York Research Database

Project website

This research sits within our Evaluation: interventions research theme. Read about our research themes.

For more information contact Bryony Beresford.