MSP backs campaign to get charitys books for bereaved children into schools

28th December 2015

Labour MSP David Stewart is supporting the Scottish Cot Death Trust in its campaign to get two books into schools and nurseries across Scotland.

Mr Stewart and his wife Linda lost their youngest son, eight-month-old Liam, to cot death in 1991 and were supported by the trust. The books are aimed at young nursery and primary school aged children and will help families cope with the grief surrounding death.

When a child dies there can be a strong focus on how the parents are coping and sometimes the grief of siblings may not be given as much attention, said Mr Stewart, who represents the Highlands and Islands.

Parents may receive cards of condolence - seldom does a child receive their own card expressing sorrow that they are without their brother or sister.

I know from my own experience that parents can be so wrapped up in the moment that its difficult to consider the effect on other children in the family, especially when they are dealing with their own feelings of overwhelming grief.

Losing a young baby is one of the greatest traumas that parents, and their remaining children, can ever face.

I have read both books and see them as excellent resources, sensitively written for children. The charitys aim is to have these books widely available to all children, via schools and nurseries, so that any family affected by the sudden death of a baby or young child, or for children born into a family after a loss, are supported as well as they can be. I am happy to back the initiative and will be writing to the Scottish health secretary to ask if this can be taken forward.

The two books would form part of a number of resources available in schools so that staff are better able to support children.

Rorys Star was inspired by a bereaved mum who felt there was nothing available for her two young sons when their baby brother died from cot death.

It aims to help grief-stricken parents and relatives explain a situation. It tells the story of a young girl who has just begun to get used to having a little brother when he passes away. It reassures children it is okay to cry about the loss of their brother or sister.

Andrews Rainbow was written to support children born into a family after the death of a child, with the trust saying it is important these children are supported in any grief they feel towards the brother or sister they never knew. These children are often called rainbow babies as they are likened to a rainbow after a storm. The book contains the words of rainbow children.

It is written to help both parents and professionals in exploring some of the feelings children have about being born into a family after a loss.

When families come to us for support we will often speak to the school staff to explain what happens after a cot death, explained Lynsay Allan, executive director of Scottish Cot Death Trust.

Teachers can feel quite unprepared and worry about answering questions children may have.

The trust works with third sector organisations providing support services for children and will refer children for play therapy if they appear to have complicated grief. Families are sometimes also offered family counselling sessions.

In the UK, 1 in 29 children in school have been bereaved of a parent, brother or sister.

Rorys Star and Andrews Rainbow are both given free of charge to families supported by the trust but are available to the public priced £4 each. Lynda Bathgate wrote Rory's Star and Veronica Hansman and Lynsay Allan outlined the story for Andrew’s Rainbow with the childrens words from focus group sessions. The designer and illustrator for both was DoGood Advertising. More information from www.scottishcotdeathtrust.org/shop.php