“It’s not my grief to be had, but those children are my responsibility”: Secondary school teaching staff’s experiences and perceptions of working with bereaved children and young people.

Prosser, Rebecca (2024). “It’s not my grief to be had, but those children are my responsibility”: Secondary school teaching staff’s experiences and perceptions of working with bereaved children and young people. University of Birmingham. Ap.Ed.&ChildPsy.D.

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Abstract

Bereavement is a common experience for children and young people (CYP) in the UK. Research indicates that this can impact a CYP’s psychosocial and educational outcomes, however there is a lack of formalised support for bereaved CYP in their education settings. There have been calls for research to explore the views of teaching staff who work with bereaved CYP, with there being a lack of research focusing on those in secondary schools. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the experiences of secondary school teaching staff who have worked with bereaved CYP. To explore this, semi-structured interviews of seven members of teaching staff were conducted and analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Analysis showed that participants had worked with CYP who had experienced and had been impacted by a range of bereavements. Many staff also reported different ways in which their settings had supported CYP and the impact these bereavements had on themselves. Interviews also indicated facilitators and barriers to providing CYP with support, as well as how staff had encountered support for themselves whilst working with these CYP. The analysis highlighted the importance of: communication and relationships, socio-cultural factors, training and guidance, perceptions of bereavement, and access to suitable support. Overall, the research indicated that support for bereaved students and for the staff working with them remains inconsistent, with a need for this to be developed further to increase staff confidence and the availability of suitable support.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ap.Ed.&ChildPsy.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ap.Ed.&ChildPsy.D.

Supervisor(s):