Everyone experiences death through bereavement, and we believe support in grief should be available for all who need it. We advocate that more must be done to support people experiencing bereavement and the associated investment in the supports that are needed.
National Policy on Bereavement Care in Ireland
There is a lack of any sort of coherent national policy on bereavement care in Ireland, and it is largely invisible in formal policies. Recognition of the impact of bereavement in policies ranging from education to employment, from health to social protection is needed.
The Real Financial Impact of Bereavement, a report released by Irish Hospice Foundation in 2022, highlights the cross-cutting nature of the impact of bereavement. The report is evidence that the impact of bereavement does not belong to any one department.
We at Irish Hospice Foundation advocate that Ireland needs a robust and meaningful national policy on bereavement. To achieve this, a scoping exercise is required to map out a wide range of literature, existing legislation and structures and to envisage where gaps and innovative approaches may lie to support a bereavement policy.
In the absence of a national approach to adult bereavement care in Ireland, in 2018 Irish Hospice Foundation facilitated a national collaborative process to develop a framework for adult bereavement care in Ireland. The Adult Bereavement Care Pyramid was launched in 2021 and provides a national framework for adult bereavement care in Ireland.
This framework identifies an approach that can shape bereavement care policy, planning and service delivery to ensure that Ireland can deliver a robust and meaningful national policy on bereavement.
For queries, contact our Advocacy Manager, Avril Easton, at [email protected].