The Irish Childhood Bereavement Network (ICBN) is encouraging professionals working with bereaved adolescents to attend its Dublin regional meeting on May 30 where they will be able to hear from an international expert on some techniques, tools and skills to support them in their work.
The meeting, which is free of charge to ICBN members, will take place at the Alexander Hotel, Dublin 2. Professionals including social workers, palliative care staff, bereavement counsellors, clinical psychologists, teachers, guidance counsellors from across the region are invited to attend.
As part of the event, Professor Danai Papadatou will lead a workshop titled, ‘Working with Adolescent Grief.’ She is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at the Faculty of Nursing of the University of Athens. She is also the founder of “Merimna”, a non-profit organization which provides bereavement support to children and their families as well as paediatric palliative home care services in Greece. She has received awards for her contribution in the field, and is an active member of the International Work Group on Death, Dying, and Bereavement.
Brid Carroll, Chair of the ICBN stated: “Adolescents face particular challenges in their grief and we are delighted to have Professor Papadatou, who is a world expert in psychology, here to provide this tailored training. As a network, we are uniquely placed to connect with professionals, working at the heart of communities across Ireland, who are providing support to bereaved young people. This training will enhance their skills and knowledge and provide a range of new interventions to develop their practice.
Launched in 2012, the ICBN is a hub for those working with bereaved children, young people and their families in Ireland. The aim is to ensure that all Irish children have access to a choice of high quality local and national information, guidance and support to enable them to manage the impact of the heath and loss of their loved one
Hosted by the Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF) and jointly funded by Tusla, the ICBN was founded after a study carried out by the IHF found there was a lack of emphasis in government policy on children’s bereavement. It also noted that while there were many strengths, the current system needed to be co-ordinated through networking and discussion.
Research carried out in 2012 found that 28% of Irish nine year olds have lost a grandparent and 2.2% have lost a parent.
In 2013, the network appointed Nicola Jordan as Coordinator of the network, to develop its membership and activities. In December 2013 they launched their website, www.childhoodbereavement.ie, which is a hub of information for anyone supporting a bereaved child.
To attend, you can register here. There is no charge for the event for ICBN members, but there is a fee of €35 for non-members which includes annual Individual membership to the network