The National Bereavement Service (“NBS”) is a not-for-profit organisation providing free, practical and impartial information and advice to people preparing for future incapacity and death, as well as for people who are bereaved.

Through a free helpline, email or webchat, professional advisers with a wealth of real-life experience offer immediate emotional support, provide practical guidance on what steps to take next and refer those seeking longer term emotional support to trusted organisations.

Telephone: 0800 024 6121
Website: https://thenbs.org/

Opened by the bereavement charity COPE in 199, The Laura Centre offers specialist bereavement counselling to parents whose child has passed and to children or young people who have been bereaved of a parent or significant person. Based in Leicester, the centre offers individual and group support as well as a variety of alternative therapies.

"We are funded to support parents for the loss of a child at any time and of any age (including pregnancy loss) and for children and young people from around the age of 5 (not normally any younger) up to a referral age of up to and including age 24 for the loss of a parent and or sibling".

Telephone: 0116 254 4341
Website: https://thelauracentre.org.uk/

Child Bereavement UK helps families to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies. We support children and young people (up to the age of 25) when someone important to them has died or is not expected to live, and parents and the wider family when a baby or child of any age dies or is dying.  We provide training to professionals in health and social care, education, and the voluntary and corporate sectors, equipping them to provide the best possible care to bereaved families.

Telephone: 0800 028 8840
Website: https://www.childbereavementuk.org/

SANDS supports anyone who has been affected by the death of a baby before, during or shortly after birth. 

They offer emotional support and information for parents, grandparents, siblings, children, families and friends, health professionals and others.

"We know that everyone grieves differently and there is no right or wrong way to grieve. Each person needs different types of support and this can change over time.  Some people may be happy to talk, others might take comfort from quietly reading about others experiences, while some may prefer to meet face to face and share their experience."

Telephone: 0207 436 5881
Website: https://www.sands.org.uk/

Q- Can we visit our loved one and pay our last respects?
Yes, our chapel of rest is open and available to you during our opening hours. If you wish to visit our private chapel, please call us and we will be happy to arrange this for you.

Q- Can we have our loved one brought home?
Yes, we can bring your loved one home either the evening before the service or on the morning of the service, so that your loved one can leave from home. Please discuss it with your funeral director.

Q- Can the family carry the coffin?
Yes, please discuss this with your funeral director as soon as possible to ensure that it is safe to do so.

Q- How do we know what to do at the funeral?
On the day of your loved one’s funeral, the funeral director is there to help and guide you, your family and friends. If you are unsure about anything during this time, please don't hesitate to ask.

Q- How many people can be seated in a limousine?
There is room for 6 people in the rear compartment and room for one in the front with the chauffeur.

Q- What are the doctors forms?
When there is a cremation, two doctors must attend and certify the death. The first doctor must be the doctor who attended to the passed loved one during their last illness. The duty of the second doctor is one of confirmation. This doctor must not be related to the first doctor either through family or practice. For this service, each doctor makes a separate charge, which your funeral director usually pays in with their charges on behalf of the family.