Wray, Alexandra, Gibson, Heather, Barlow, Sam, Hilier, Vickie and Kingsley, Ellen (2026) PP-20 The forest project: when children help shape bereavement support. BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care. A14.1-A14.

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Abstract

Introduction Every 20 minutes a child in the UK loses a parent, yet bereavement support for children remains fragmented and inconsistent. Evidence highlights that children benefit from honest communication and emotional support after a death, but services are often adult-led and overlook children’s voices. The Forest Project was developed through The Ideas Fund as a nature-based bereavement support programme for children.

Aims Phase Two of the Forest Project aimed to extend support beyond the woodland setting by co-producing bereavement resources with bereaved children, for bereaved children. The study sought to centre children’s lived experience and promote death literacy through creative, peer-informed resources.

Methods Using community-led, co-production methods, the research team partnered with Fitmums and Friends and 46 bereaved children aged 6–16. A public involvement session and two creative workshops were conducted using arts-based Methods including painting, comic strips, symbolism, and reflective writing. Data consisted of artwork, written contributions and field notes. Inductive content analysis was used to identify themes within children’s grief experiences and support needs.

Results Children emphasised:

Honest conversations about death and inclusion in funerals

Emotional expression without judgement

Peer connection and creative coping strategies

Support at school through simple flexibility

Permission to remember loved ones through rituals

Children identified animation and a booklet as preferred formats to reach peers and reduce loneliness in grief. These resources were co-produced using children’s artwork, language, and recorded voices.

Conclusion and Impact This study demonstrates how co-production empowers bereaved children to shape meaningful grief support. Creative collaboration generated authentic, accessible resources grounded in children’s needs and experiences. The Forest Project offers a scalable community-led model that strengthens death literacy and improves grief communication across families, schools and communities. The co-produced resources will be shared to inform bereavement support practice and training.

Item Type:	Article
Status:	Published
DOI:	10.1136/spcare-2026-mcrc.31
School/Department:	School of Science, Technology and Health
Institutes:	Institute for Health and Care Improvement
URI:	https://ray.yorksj.ac.uk/id/eprint/14217

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