Bereavement counselling service now available to all forces

17 May 2023

Bereavement counselling service now available to all forces

The National Police Wellbeing Service has partnered with 'Just B' to provide police forces with access to specialist bereavement counselling services.

If a serving officer or member of staff should tragically die in the execution of their duties or by suicide – this counselling service is now available to the officer or staff members’ family and their immediate colleagues.

NPWS Service Director, Andy Rhodes said: “Policing is a unique, rewarding, but challenging and sometimes dangerous job. We want to ensure that all police forces have options to provide tailored and specific support if the worst should happen.

“We have established this service with 'Just B’ as part of our ongoing commitment to delivering key elements of the Police Covenant, ensuring that all police forces have options to be able to provide more support to officers, staff, but also their families.”

The service is provided through ‘Just B’, a specialist bereavement counselling service and it includes:

• Counselling support for all immediate family members from a qualified counsellor trained in bereavement and trauma.
• A counsellor will be allocated to each staff member, family member or bereaved family and work alongside them as they process and learn to manage their grief.
• Just ‘B’ will work with parents or carers so they feel better equipped to support children and young people understand the death and learn to express their grief.
• Practical guidance and support to allow individuals and families time to consider their ‘new normal’.
• Provision of relevant therapy or counselling.
• Signposting to charities appropriate to the situation.
• A service tailored for children and adults: support for a family group or individual 1:1 work where applicable.
• Options around peer support and network events to support families.

 The above can be delivered over the phone, through online sessions or face to face, and the force, most likely through their Occupational Health department, will make the initial referral into Just B.

https://www.oscarkilo.org.uk/news/bereavement-counselling-service-now-available-all-forces