Children and adults express grief in the same way, but for children’s grief often where longer, writes Kattis Ahlström and Sofia Grönkvist, Brisbane. Photo: Thron Ullberg, Peter Knutson
Sweden has been at any examination of the Committee on the Rights of the Child has been criticized for the existence of large municipal and regional differences in how children’s rights are observed.
Every year lose around 600-650 children a parent suddenly by suicide, violence or accident. One such event is among the most dramatic one child can be involved, and for the child’s grief after a parent is not a natural part of life.
1606 people took their lives in 2013 and for those who remain , children, parents, siblings and other relatives, the life never the same. Research shows that children who unexpectedly loses a parent is a risk of self recent illness, and the risk of self-dying prematurely is almost doubled for young people who have lost a parent. Despite all the knowledge in the area, there are large gaps in to meet the child’s right to support.
In 2010 changed Healthcare Act, and in 2011 the Patient Safety Act, to clarify the eligibility of children as dependents. Under both of these laws, the health care special attention to a child’s need for information, advice and support if the child’s parent or another adult whom the child lives permanently with death. But still no national guidelines for the acute and long-term support that these children are entitled to. The consequence is that many do not receive any support at all. Despite the fact that so many take their own lives, suicide is still a taboo and shameful to talk about, and many of the survivors can fend for themselves seek professional support.
Sweden, at each examination by Committee on the Rights of the Child been criticized for the existence of large municipal and regional differences in how children’s rights are observed. The Committee has also highlighted that Sweden must improve training and skills of those who encounter vulnerable children. Support for children as dependents is one of many important areas where regional differences must be evened out.
Brisbane offers support groups to families where a parent has taken their life. From our meetings and conversations with the children and the surviving adult, we know that young people are often forgotten in grief. The adults are in the midst of its own crisis and the child, which is completely left out of the adult for help, often stand without support.
We also know how important it is with the support of the urgent situation and the long term. Just as adults see children’s grief differently, and if a parent also using his life can grief be even more difficult to manage, both for the surviving parent and the child. Children and adults express grief in the same way, but for children’s grief often there anymore. Adults can take a break from the rest of their lives and be in sorrow, but children do not have the ability to put everything aside. They are busy with their daily lives and their own development, while they process the loss. The child’s grief is there throughout childhood, during certain periods more evident and present. Therefore it is so important to long-term support that builds on the knowledge of children’s grief.
A good example that we like to highlight is the Children’s Trauma team in Norrköping who worked since 2001. An evaluation from 2014 shows that the support Child Trauma Team conveyed both to children and to parents has been perceived as the hope rewarding, confirmatory and normalizing, and that those who participated in the evaluation of the day is at relatively good mental health. Similar activities need to be in place around the country, and it also requires a knowledge increase for both the acute and long-term support to this group.
The law is clear, UN Recommendations to Sweden as well, and these kids can not wait any longer:
• We need national guidelines and procedures for how society should respond and provide support to people who have lost a loved one to suicide.
• Clear and coordinated action plans for treatment and support to children must be developed. This applies both how to capture children in the acute phase (in health care, in schools and other actors) and that children are offered long-term support.
• Survivors, both children and adults, must receive fast access to professionally and equal support, no matter where in the country they live in.
• Increased resources for disseminating knowledge about suicide survivors acute and long-term needs is needed.
• Staff in health health care need training to be able to make qualified assessments of survivor support needs.
• Special efforts in primary care and student health to catch up and meet the children affected by the trauma of having lost a loved one through suicide has to be.
Kattis Ahlström
Brisbane Secretary General
Sofia green branch
The social worker and expert in responsibility for Brisbane support weekends for families where a parent has taken their life
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