New ways of delivering training covering the topics of loss, grief and bereavement to educational staff in Glasgow have been recognised at the recent national NHS Education for Scotland (NES) Bereavement Conference.

A Glasgow City Working Group consisting of Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership’s (HSCP) Health Improvement staff, Glasgow Psychological Services and The Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice came together to adapt and deliver training to education staff in Glasgow during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. 

The training covered the topics of loss, grief and bereavement within an educational context. 
Mary Kate Harte from our HSCP’s North West Health Improvement Team said: “A whole school approach to bereavement and loss training is normally delivered once per year as a full day event. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this training was adapted and taught online as three twilight sessions, which were delivered three times over March to May 2021.

“The move to online delivery and increased availability meant that education staff were able to access these opportunities remotely and were able to fit the sessions around their classroom commitments.”

Offering more sessions of the course also meant that support and information could be shared across schools in Glasgow City and extended to include healthcare staff such as school nurses who support children and young people when at school.

As part of the training, students Aakansha Singh and John McNee at St Mungo’s Academy, Glasgow, shared the work on the ‘Pure Mental Health’ programme developed by students in the school and the impact it has had on health and wellbeing for themselves and their peers. David Murray, an Educational Psychologist, Glasgow also discussed work on ‘Season’s for Growth’ loss and change programme and practices that can be implemented to support children and young people in a school setting.

The training was evaluated to find out the impact of moving this course online and to gather any feedback from participants, and it was compared with results of a similar model delivered by St. Columba’s Hospice Care (Edinburgh and East Lothian). 

A poster, ‘You aren’t expected to do this on your own’, showcasing the findings was highly commended at the NES Bereavement Conference in November and is featured on the NES Bereavement website and in the Scottish Partnership of Palliative Care (SPPC) Poster Parade earlier in the year.

Mary Kate continued: “It’s been great to work closely with our partners and to be able to respond to a need addressed within our communities. It was brilliant having an input from local young people, Aakansha and John. Their work had a real impact throughout each of the sessions.”

Lisa Forsyth from Glasgow Psychological Services said: “This training allowed us to see just how valuable loss, grief and bereavement training is for our education and health staff as well as the benefits of being able to come together and share our experiences.”

Some quotes from the participants included:

“It was good to learn about grief being related to different types of loss, and not just death.”

“Working on teams meant I could attend this as I didn’t need to get time out of school.”

“I feel more confident in approaching situations surrounding loss with pupils.”

“I have been introduced to a variety of resources that I will use to undertake further professional learning.”

“Facilitators were extremely knowledgeable, professional and created an enjoyable online learning environment.”