Our Approach
relational and community based
We support bereaved children and young people through a relational, community-based approach that strengthens the adults and environments around them.
Our work is guided by recognised bereavement frameworks and delivered through a tiered model of support.
☆ Our approach ☆ Why this matters ☆ What this means ☆
1. Our Approach
At Fresh Minds Education, we draw on recognised bereavement standards, guidance, and outcome frameworks to shape and strengthen our work with bereaved children and young people.
We integrate the standards of the Irish Childhood Bereavement Network to guide our overall service design, alongside practice guidance from Childhood Bereavement UK to inform real-life responses, and the Childhood Bereavement Network outcomes framework to understand and evidence the difference our work makes.
In a field where no single statutory framework exists, we bring these perspectives together within a relational, community-based model that places children, young people, and the adults around them at the centre of support.
Our approach ensures that care is thoughtful, developmentally appropriate, and grounded in connection, while remaining accountable for both the quality and impact of our work.
2. Why This Matters
Children and young people experience grief differently from adults.
Support is often misunderstood, and many systems are not designed with children’s needs in mind. As a result, families can feel uncertain about how best to respond, and children may not receive the understanding and support they need.
3. How We Work
By strengthening the adults, environments, and communities around them, we can create the conditions for children and young people to be supported with care, confidence, and connection.
Adult-around-child
We strengthen the adults, recognising their central role in shaping how a child understands and experiences grief.
Community Based
We work where children and families live, learn, and connect, supporting grief where it is actually experienced.
Relational Approach
We prioritise connection as the foundation of support, recognising that children experience grief within the safety of trusted relationships.
Layered Support
We provide different levels of support depending on need, from universal resources and guidance to targeted interventions.
Our work is informed by recognised bereavement standards, guidance, and outcome frameworks, including those developed by the Irish Childhood Bereavement Network, Childhood Bereavement UK, and the Childhood Bereavement Network.
These frameworks guide our thinking, strengthen our practice, and ensure that our work is both grounded in evidence and responsive to real-world need.
5. What This Means in Practice
For families, this means support that is relational, responsive, and grounded in understanding, helping them feel more confident in supporting their child or young person through grief.
For partners and professionals, it means working alongside a service that brings clarity, confidence, and a shared approach to supporting children and young people, strengthening the systems around them, not just responding at the point of need.