ERIC Number: EJ1268185
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0266-7363
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Bereavement Support Provision in Primary Schools: An Exploratory Study
Costelloe, Ailbhe; Mintz, Joseph; Lee, Frances
Educational Psychology in Practice, v36 n3 p281-296 2020
In the UK, approximately 1 in 29 children have experienced the death of a parent or sibling. It is argued that schools are suitably positioned to provide support to bereaved children. However, there is a gap in research exploring bereavement support provision (BSP) in primary schools. This paper presents the qualitative phase of a mixed-methods study which aimed to gain insight into BSP in primary schools in one UK Local Authority. After completing an online questionnaire, 16 school staff took part in semi-structured interviews. The findings of this study highlighted that BSP is characterised by emotional support and other indirect responses. A key finding is that providing emotional support to a bereaved child has a negative impact on the emotional well-being of staff. This study discusses how educational psychologists (EPs) are well placed to provide whole school and targeted bereavement support to children and school staff.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Grief, Coping, Death, Elementary School Students, Social Support Groups, Student Needs, Well Being, Emotional Response, School Personnel, School Psychologists
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
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