Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation Beneficiary - November 2005 Sids & Kids Hunter

Bereavement Support Service

Sids and Kids Hunter provide support and counselling to families who have experienced the sudden and unexpected death of a child during pregnancy and up to 6 years of age (stillbirth, neonatal deaths, sleeping accidents, Sids, accidents, illnesses and drowning). They have also begun to support families who have experienced the sudden and unexpected death of a teenage child.

Due to the increasing numbers of families requiring support Sids for Kids plan to expand their “Bereavement Support Service”. To do this they need to train more Peer Support Volunteers. Generally these volunteers are individuals who have experienced the death of a child and more than 2 years has past and they are now considered appropriate and able to support newly bereaved families.

This initiative aims to identify 20 new Peer Support Volunteers and provide the necessary training and support to them over a one year period. They will be trained to provide support to families and also to provide formal and informal education to the community about bereavement issues following the death of a child.

The funds will be used to promote the services of Sids for Kids with this aim of attracting suitable volunteers. Once identified the funds would be used to establish training and educational programs to upskill and prepare the volunteers for their work with Hunter families. Over the next 12 months the funds would also be used to cover transport and other expenses related to these volunteers visiting and assisting affected families.