Student bereavement and grief
How to support students experiencing bereavement and grief.
The HE Bereavement Framework
About
Hundreds of thousands of Higher Education (HE) students and staff deal with grief every year, with profound impacts – from health and wellbeing, to academic performance, employment outcomes, and retention rates.
The HE Bereavement Framework lays the foundations for institutions to reflect on their existing approach to bereavement, identify gaps, and take practical steps to improving support. It shares recommendations through five key themes:
- policy
- awareness and training
- support services
- communication
- responding to a student or staff death.
The framework is free to view on The Student Grief Network website, along with a recorded webinar and accompanying guides.
Resources
Video on YouTube: How would you describe the experience of grieving at university?
Video on YouTube: Welcome to the Student Grief Network
List of organisations supporting bereaved students from Student Minds
Guidance: Child Bereavement UK: Grieving at university or college
Advice: The Laura Centre: Dealing with grief at university
Website: The Student Grief Network
Lunch & Learn - Supporting bereaved students
In October 2024, Anna May, founder of The Student Grief Network and Executive Head of Kaplan International Grief Programmes presented at a UMHAN Lunch & Learn. This session explored some of the key challenges faced by bereaved students and how to provide appropriate support.
Speaker
Anna May is Founder of The Student Grief Network and Executive Head of Kaplan International Grief Programmes. After starting this work as a bereaved student herself, she has over six years experience improving bereavement support across Higher Education, specialising in training, consultancy, workshops and events. She works directly with students as well as with staff and universities.
About the Lunch and Learn session
Anna May presented at this session. She talked about her lived experience as well as key learning from her work and practical suggestions for offering support.
UMHAN members - please go go to Lunch & Learns 2024 and scroll down to 'Supporting bereaved students'.
Lunch & Learn Slides Oct 2024
Grief in the workplace report (Sue Ryder, 2020)
With thanks to Anna May, Executive Head of Kaplan International Grief Programmes, for helping co-create this page with UMHAN.
