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further-help where to go for bereavement

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Diabetes UK - Know diabetes. Fight diabetes. | Diabetes UK

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We are Diabetes UK, the leading charity for people living with diabetes in the UK. Our vision is a world where diabetes can do no harm.

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They can give sophisticated treatments of modern surgery. They give brief and confidential advice and information.

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The appalling epidemic of acid attacks in Britain continues unabated with more attacks in East London and Essex in recent weeks. The Evening Standard, 24.7.17 reports: A total of 455 acid attacks were reported to Scotland Yard last year, a rise of 74 per cent, with 20 people convicted of offences but more than a third of perpetrators never caught. Between January and April this year alone there were 114 attacks.

The Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, has announced a tough review of sentencing policy - I hope this will be speedy - with possible life sentences for those who perpetrate this crime. And there needs to be other action too to make sulphuric acid much more difficult to get hold of.

Those attacked need all our help. The Basildon, Canvey and Southend Echo, 25.5.17, for example, reports: Lee Elliott, 17, suffered horrific burns to his face and could lose his vision, while Tyrone Terry, also 17, has serious burns to his tongue and mouth. The victims, all aged between 16 and 18, include Billy Milne and Connor Leeman, who suffered burns to their faces, while Kane Richards received burns to his hands.

The report on that attack also makes plain just how devastating it was for one of the families concerned - we must make sure families get the right support and help too.

The burns that acid causes are usually deep and severe to faces and bodies and patients will need multiple skin graft operations to reconstruct their eyelids, noses and ears. Professor Dziewulski of the Broomfield Hospital in Colchester, a leading burns surgeon, is quoted in the Evening Standard: "Over the last 10 or 15 years there were a handful of cases at the unit. But last year saw 20. So far this year we have had 20 and 10 have required surgery. The vast majority are under 30. There is a particular proportion which are teenagers and most are male but we have had quite a few female victims."

Lead burn consultants acknowledge that even after receiving all the sophisticated treatments of modern surgery (and learning from their colleagues in other countries too), patients are likely to have scars for life. This is why Changing Faces exists - to help people live confident lives with an unusual appearance and to ensure our society is accepting and inclusive with no shred of discrimination or prejudice.

Changing Faces is very confident that the burn care team at Broomfield and other burn units will provide excellent acute care and will attend to the survivors' immediate psychological concerns - and be ever vigilant for signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We also worked with the Broomfield and other burn centre team a few years ago to develop a highly-rated training course for the whole team about the psychological and social effects of the change in appearance that burns cause.

We know - and burn care teams know too - from research and experience, that the emotional and social impact of the disfigurements caused by burns can often really kick in after discharge from the acute phase. When people are back at home, alone or trying to return to work, that's when the problems can be felt most: they can feel low and very self-conscious about their scars. Everywhere they go, they feel other people staring or are asked intrusive questions.

Our recent Disfigurement in the UK report indicated that just how painful it can be to be 'out and about' with a disfigurement - staring, comments and unpleasantness can seriously deflate a person's self-confidence. The public's unconscious bias to meeting people who look different is persistently negative despite our efforts over the last eight years.

What is crucial is that those injured in acid attacks - and their families - are well-prepared for this and know how and from whom to seek help. We encourage burn care teams to enable patients to keep in contact with the centre, to know about what Changing Faces can offer and how to connect, and about other relevant support groups like Dan's Fund for Burns or Katie Piper Foundation.

And we encourage the clinical team to use our 321 GO programme before discharge. Each patient should have the chance to work out before discharge (GO) 3 things to do if someone stares at them, 2 things to say if someone asks what happened, 1 thing to think if someone appears to turn away. There are no right ways but aggression and avoidance are not favoured. The desired end-result is that the patient (and family) feels more in control when going into public places - and gets a positive reaction (or at least not a negative one).

Longer term, acid survivors need to have access during their treatment to clinical care that reflects the principles of our FACES package as offered by our Changing Faces Practitioners:

F: they are enabled to Find out about their scars and all possible treatments

A: they can develop a positive and resilient Attitude about their future

C: they are helped to Cope with their feelings of anxiety, anger, loss etc

E: they can share and Exchange experiences with others who have 'been there'

S: they can learn the Social Skills needed to manage other people's reactions.

They may find our self-help guides useful.

Changing Faces is also determined that the British society into which those attacked with acid return does not treat them badly - with intrusive press stories, nasty social media abuse or difficulties at work. Our recent Disfigurement in the UK report tells us all that there is much to do to prevent this happening - and our campaigning for face equality will seek to challenge abuses or negative portrayals whenever we see them.

The good news is that in India where acid attacks have also been on the increase, some of the survivors are now appearing as fashion models. Read this article on the BBC website and in this piece the Guardian.

I am confident that British society can be just as inclusive in the years to come.

Further reading:
The Evening Standard The Independent The Katie Piper Foundation The Evening Standard Dr James Partridge is the Founder and Chief Executive at Changing Faces. Viewpoint represents the views of its authors only and not necessarily the policies or views of Changing Faces, its staff or trustees.

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Acid attack survivors need comprehensive help in an inclusive society " Changing Faces

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The appalling epidemic of acid attacks in Britain continues unabated with more attacks in East London and Essex in recent weeks. The Evening Standard, 24.7.17 reports: A total of 455 acid attacks were reported to Scotland Yard last year, a rise of 74 per cent, with 20 people convicted of offences but more than a third of perpetrators never caught.

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Your feelings after miscarriage and pregnancy loss - The Miscarriage Association

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This section of the Miscarriage Association website explores some of the feelings and emotions people have when faced with pregnancy loss, ways to mark your loss, and special circumstances such as infertility, recurrent miscarriage & late miscarriage. There is information for partners & young people, as well as support for those trying again after miscarriage.

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A miscarriage can have a profound emotional impact, not only on a woman, but also on her partner, friends and family.

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advice on bereavement

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Dealing with grief, loss or bereavement - what to expect and how to cope with difficult emotions.

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Check what benefits or grants you can get

If you're missing out on a benefit you're entitled to then you're not getting money that could make a real difference to your income.

Check whether you're eligible for any benefits by using a benefits calculator on the GOV.UK website.

Money from grants

There are grants available based on where you live and your working background. Use the Turn2us checker to search for grants and apply. Grants don't have to be paid back.

Work out your budget to manage your money

An important step towards getting control of your finances is finding out what you have coming in and going out each month.

Use our budgeting tool to help you work this out.

The results will:

show you what you have left each month to settle any debts, or to set aside

give you advice on where you could cut costs

Whenever your life changes you should use the budgeting tool again to get up-to-date advice.

Clear rent arrears

It's more important to deal with rent arrears than other spending debts like credit cards, as you could lose your home.

You'll need to know how much you can offer to pay off to clear the arrears. Use our budgeting tool to work this out if you're not sure what you can afford, then read our advice on how to deal with your landlord.

Sort out your Council Tax

Ask your council to spread your Council Tax over 12 months instead of the usual 10 if you're starting to struggle with the payments. This will reduce the amount you pay each month.

If you're already in arrears, you need to act quickly. Read our advice on dealing with Council Tax arrears and how to get help.

Check if you should get a discount

You can reduce your overall bill by getting a discount on your Council Tax if you:

live on your own

live only with someone who's under 17 or a full-time student

live with someone with mental health problems

live with someone who is severely disabled

earn below a certain amount of money - this depends on where you live

You can check and apply online.

Check your Council Tax band is right

Your bill might be higher than it should be if your property is in the wrong Council Tax band.

Follow the steps on the MoneySavingExpert website to check. If the band is changed and your bill is reduced, you'll also get back the money you've overpaid since you moved in.

Manage loan repayments

Don't be tempted to get another loan to pay off one you already have.

If you can't afford your current living costs or debts each month, borrowing more isn't going to change this. In fact, it could make the situation worse.

The most important thing for you to do is work out your budget. This will show you where you can cut costs and increase your income. It will also give you a better idea of the options you have for dealing with your debts.

You must deal with things like mortgage or rent arrears, Council Tax arrears and energy bills before loans. This is because the consequences for not paying these are more serious.

It's still important to speak to your loan provider and explain your situation to stop it getting worse.

Read our advice on how to deal with your creditors to see what you can do.

Deal with credit card debts

Credit card debt can build up quickly and be very worrying, but it's important to first sort out any other debts like arrears on your mortgage, energy bills or Council Tax. This is because the immediate consequences of not paying these things are much more serious.

It's still important to speak to your card provider and explain your situation to stop it getting worse.

Read our advice on how to deal with your creditors.

Reduce your interest charges

If you're managing to pay off credit card bills at the moment but are worried about interest charges, switching could help you save money.

Transferring your balance to a card with 0% interest means you just have to pay off the current amount with no additional interest, as long as you don't add anything new to it. This will cost you less than increasing your credit limit on your current card.

Several websites offer credit card comparison tools, so you can find the best one for your situation.

Deal with gas, electric or water bills

If you've got a gas or electric bill you can't pay, you should contact your supplier to help you sort out a payment plan that works for you. They must help you do this and you can get help from your local Citizens Advice if they don't.

You can also read about benefits and grants that are available to help with energy bills.

To cut your future bills you should make sure you're on the best deal you can get. Use our price comparison tool to check.

You can also find out about other ways to save money on your bills in the long term.

Water bills

If you can't pay your current bill, read our advice on how to negotiate with your water company. Most water companies have hardship schemes or other ways to help customers who talk to them about problems.

If you can pay now but want to reduce your future bills, check how you could pay less.

Manage mortgage payments

You need to talk to your mortgage lender straight away if you're struggling to pay your mortgage.

Read our advice on how to deal with your mortgage provider.

Don't put this off. It's important to do it as soon as possible to stop your lender beginning court action against you.

If you've already received court papers, you need to get immediate help and advice. Contact your local Citizens Advice and they will help you.

Mortgage interest help if you're on benefits

You can apply for help with the interest payments on your mortgage if you get:

Income Support

income-based Jobseeker's Allowance

income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

Universal Credit

Pension Credit

Find out more about Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) if you get one or more of these benefits.

SMI can't help with missed mortgage payments. If you're already in arrears, read our advice on what to do about mortgage debt.

Reduce your regular mortgage payments

If you're not in arrears but are worried about your regular mortgage payments, look at our advice on cutting your mortgage costs. You might be able to temporarily reduce your monthly payments, or even switch to a better deal.

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If you're missing out on a benefit you're entitled to then you're not getting money that could make a real difference to your income. Check whether you're eligible for any benefits by using a benefits calculator on the GOV.UK website. There are grants available based on where you live and your working background.

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Your feelings after miscarriage and pregnancy loss - The Miscarriage Association

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This section of the Miscarriage Association website explores some of the feelings and emotions people have when faced with pregnancy loss, ways to mark your loss, and special circumstances such as infertility, recurrent miscarriage & late miscarriage. There is information for partners & young people, as well as support for those trying again after miscarriage.

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https://www.diabetes.org.uk/
for information, help with meal planning and advice

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Redundancy may well come as a shock, you may be struggling to take in all the options and feel personally rejected. However redundancy isn't personal, all the help and advice on this site should allow you to maximise any money owed to you as part of the process and you should use it as a fresh start to further you career.

Coping & counselling

If you are struggling to cope with the situation then talking to friends and family about your options can help, if you are part of a group redundancy then working together can be beneficial, as you can share advice and support about your experiences.

* Stay calm and focus on the future
* Focus on opportunities and options
* Get professional advice and support if needed
* Talk to friends and family, it helps

Don't
* Take it personally, it's not your fault
* Get down, it won't help and most people will face redundancy these days at some point
* Panic, take advice and weigh up options

There are also independent and free options to get support, Citizens Advice can help with redundancy, managing bills and much more, if you really feel that you can't cope talk to the Samaritans.

We can help with setting up websites; social media groups, payments calculators, plus with general group advice. Contact us to discuss these group options

Support with bills and debt

Losing your job is stressful, but needn't lead to debt and financial problems, if you have worked at a company for over 2 years you are entitled to at least statutory redundancy pay and notice.

It is worth signing on for job seekers allowance as soon as you are made redundant and are looking for another job, find and contact your local Job Centre to start the process.

Check any personal and employment related insurance policies you may have; these may well cover mortgage payments and other bills. Depending on your income you may be entitled to other benefits, check out what you are entitled to for your circumstances by clicking here. You can also get free independent advice on managing your money via the Money Advice Service.

Looking for a job

The best place to start on your quest for a new job is the Job Centre Plus, they can register you for benefits, give you careers advice and help find jobs, plus let you know of any retraining opportunities.

There are many job search websites and agencies that allow you to search by region and upload your CV, one of the biggest with a huge number of jobs is Indeed.co.uk. If you need help with CV writing and job applications, there is free help and an online tool at the National Careers Service.

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Redundancy - Further help and support - Redundancy Aid

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Redundancy may well come as a shock, you may be struggling to take in all the options and feel personally rejected. However redundancy isn't personal, all the help and advice on this site should allow you to maximise any money owed to you as part of the process and you should use it as a fresh start to further you career.

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They offer practical support such as financial help  for  victims of acid attacks.

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Tackling acid attacks and supporting survivors

Grassroots women's rights organisations are the key to tackling violence against women and girls. With the right backing they can make sure survivors of acid attacks get the support and justice that they deserve and importantly change laws and social practices which allow attacks to take place and for perpetrators to remain at large.

Nurun Nahar is an assistant officer in gender equality and women's empowerment at ActionAid Bangladesh. She is herself an acid survivor. When she was 15 she rejected the advances of a boy two years older than her, and as a result he came to her house and poured acid on her face.

She knows the struggles faced by other survivors. " Community members don't treat acid survivors well," she says. "They speak about them behind their backs and to their faces and so acid survivors don't come out of their homes easily. A lso, educational institutions are not supportive of survivors and so most of them won't return to school or college. Families are also often not very supportive and they blame the survivor. They think if the acid attack hadn't happened, the family wouldn't be shamed in this way, and financially they find it hard too because of the costs of the medicines."

With help from ActionAid she founded the Acid Survivors' Network (ASN), a support group for acid victims.

"I know all the survivors in our network. I could see that they felt so hopeless and that they had no confidence and so I tried to explain to them about how I had changed my life and to show them that if they can change their thinking then they can also change their life. I hope that one day they can have even more success than me and be something even bigger and shine even brighter.

"My dream is to see the Network as a development organisation. I hope it will work so that we can stop this practice of throwing acid on women. We also want to make sure that survivors get proper justice. I hope the survivors can move easily through Bangladesh and that society will accept them as normal people - not just acid victims. I also want to see survivors in Government positions; I want to see them in Parliament. That is my dream."

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Grassroots women's rights organisations are the key to tackling violence against women and girls. With the right backing they can make sure survivors of acid attacks get the support and justice that they deserve and importantly change laws and social practices which allow attacks to take place and for perpetrators to remain at large.

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https://www.careforthefamily.org.uk/family-life/bereavement-support/supporting-bereaved-people/further-help where to go for bereavement

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At A Loss is committed to ensuring that everyone in the UK who has suffered a significant loss can locate support. The website aims to provide an access point to a range of bereavement support, including Grab Life for those aged 18-30.

The BEAD Project provides information, support and hope for anyone whose loved one has died as a result of drug or alcohol use.

The Coroners Courts Support Service gives emotional & practical support to families & witnesses attending Inquests at specific Coroner's Court locations, detailed on their website.

Cruse Bereavement Care is the largest bereavement support organisation for both adults and children in the UK. Provides one-to-one support to anyone who has suffered bereavement, together with a telephone helpline. Their website gives further information and contact details for local branches.

Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland provides similar support to Cruse in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Their website gives further information and contact details for local branches.

CRY Cardiac Risk in the Young supports those bereaved through young sudden cardiac death (also known as SADS, SDS); and has a Surgery Supporters Network for young people (aged 14-35) diagnosed with a cardiac condition. CRY promotes heart screening and ECG testing programmes, and funds the CRY Centre for Sports Cardiology and the CRY Centre for Cardiac Pathology.

Grief Encounter supports bereaved children and their families to help alleviate the pain caused by the death of someone close. The website contains helpful support pages for families, young people, professionals and schools.

Inquest provides help and advice for those facing an inquest. Bereaved people can obtain a free information pack, including the Inquest Handbook.

The Lullaby Trust provides expert advice on safer sleep for babies, emotional support for bereaved families and raises awareness of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

SAMM Support after Murder and Manslaughter support those who have been bereaved as a result of murder or manslaughter, through a telephone helpline, information and other activities, including local groups.

Sands Still and Neonatal Death Charity offer support when your baby dies during pregnancy or after birth.

Saying Goodbye provides comprehensive information, advice, support and much more to anyone who has suffered the loss of a baby, at any stage of pregnancy, at birth or in infancy. It also organises remembrance services in Cathedrals for those who have lost a child at any stage of pregnancy, at birth or in infancy.

See You Soon is a website, linked to the book of the same name, which explores, from a personal perspective, issues around bereavement, drugs in the family, and hope. The book 'See You Soon' by Philippa Skinner is available from Care for the Family online.

Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide provide help and support to those bereaved by the suicide of a relative or close friend. They provide information, a helpline and other activities, including local groups and events throughout the UK.

TAMBA (Twin and Multiple Birth Association) bereavement support group supports parents who have lost a baby or babies during a multiple pregnancy or at any stage after birth.

Together for Short Lives provides support for families where children have life-threatening and life-limiting conditions. They also offer a helpline and advocacy service.

WAY (Widowed and Young) Foundation provide support, advice and friendship to those who have been bereaved of a partner under the age of 50.

Winston's Wish support bereaved children and young people up to the age of 18 through a whole range of activities, including a helpline, group work, residential events and resources.
Specialist Support from Care for the Family:
Bereaved Parent Support provides support for any parent whose son or daughter has died at any age, in any circumstances, and at any stage in their journey of grieving. We provide a telephone befriending service (for those who have lost a child aged 35 or under), day and weekend support events, a regular email support newsletter, a Facebook page, personal stories and helpful articles, and short support films in the Bereavement Playlist on Care for the Family's YouTube channel. We also run ' Brothers and Sisters: life after loss ' events and a closed Facebook group to support bereaved adult siblings.

Widowed Young Support provides support for anyone whose partner has died early in life (up to age 50, or older if there are dependent children). We provide a telephone befriending service, day and weekend support events, a regular email support newsletter, a Facebook page, personal stories and helpful articles, and short support films in the Bereavement Playlist on Care for the Family's YouTube channel.

Download the PDF here
Other bereavement support organisations - July 2017 This information is supplied in good faith, but Care for the Family cannot accept responsibility for any advice or recommendations made by other organisations or resources.

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Bereavement support organisations - Care for the Family

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There are many specialist organisations who can help you in your grief: At A Loss is committed to ensuring that everyone in the UK who has suffered a significant loss can locate support. The website aims to provide an access point to a range of bereavement support, including Grab Life for those aged 18-30.

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https://healthyfamilies.beyondblue.org.au/pregnancy-and-new-parents/becoming-a-parent-what-to-expect/adjusting-to-parenthood to help start life with kids

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https://www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk/your-feelings/
list of options about advice and what you can do