Charity within months of closing after funding axed amid cost pressure

HEAD SAYS CHILDREN DEALING WITH PERSONAL GRIEF WILL JUST HAVE NOWHERE TO GO THROUGH WHAT SHE CALLS 'THEIR TOUGHEST TIMES'

- BY JAMIE WALLER Local Democracy Reporter

A charity which offers grief counselling for children says it will stop its work within months after losing its NHS funding.

The Lincolnshire Centre for Grief and Loss helps people who have experienced a death, divorce or terminal illness in their family.

The Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust has provided temporary funding for its work with children since 2022, but says it is unable to continue due to cost pressures.

Clare Reynolds, a clinical supervisor at the charity, fears that there won't be any help available to children going through the toughest time of their lives.

"The NHS says there are other options available, but that's not what schools are telling us," she said.

"They are devastated that we might have to stop. We are the only service that goes directly into schools, including after the death of a student or staff member.

"It doesn’t make sense financially either, as it will put more strain on the NHS's services. We can do a lower-level intervention before grief has escalated into mental health problems.