Alder Centre information leaflet

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Alder Centre Information Leaflet (1MB pdf)

We are here for you

The Alder Centre is a place like no other, providing care and education for anyone affected by the death of a child of any age

A place like no other

The Alder Centre is a place like no other, providing care and education for anyone affected by the death of a child of any age.

The loss of a child, regardless of how old you or the child is, is one of the worst things that can happen. No-one will be able to tell you exactly how it feels because everyone reacts and feels differently. There is no right or wrong way to grieve.

The experience of grief can involve a range of feelings, including numbness, disbelief, anger, guilt, sadness, emptiness, relief and denial. Feelings can be so mixed up that you might wonder if you are going mad, or if you will ever be able to enjoy life again. This is a perfectly normal reaction to the range of emotions involved.

Established in 1989, in partnership with bereaved parents, The Alder Centre provides a variety of confidential services to people bereaved through child loss. For information on any of our services or to make a referral, please contact us on the details below.

Contact us

We’re here to help

Support

A safe place is provided to give you time and space to express your thoughts, feelings and needs openly and honestly.

Volunteer services

We offer a range of volunteer services at The Alder Centre and our volunteers are a much valued part of our team.

Reflection and remembrance

Throughout the year our volunteers work hard to provide a number of events in memory of children who have died.

Our services

Administration services

All our work is supported by our wonderful admin team who support the day to day running of The Alder Centre and co-ordinate appointments. Our administration team is experienced in grief and loss and will be on hand to welcome you to the centre or on the end of the phone.

Holistic therapies

Here at The Alder Centre we have our specially designed Holistic Therapy room and dedicated therapist offering a range of treatments. Holistic Therapies have a long history of improving physical and emotional health and evidence shows the positive effect it can have on grief.

Counselling

The Alder Centre Counsellors are specially trained in child bereavement counselling. Counselling is offered to anyone affected by the loss of a child no matter where that death occurred. This may include family, friends and professionals. This can be provided on a one-to-one basis, as a couple, with other family members, or as a group via telephone, online video call or face-to-face. Support is provided for as long as is needed.

Additional specialist support is offered to any children that have been affected by the death of a child in a way which helps them to express their feelings and come to terms with their loss. This can take place within the family unit, with other children, or on a
one-to-one basis. We encourage family groups to attend counselling together so that everyone has the chance to talk and to listen to one another. This helps the family to understand how each member is coping, or not, with the loss. Individual family members will sometimes want to talk to a counsellor on their own and we will, of course, support
them to do that.

Counselling services are free and are offered in person at The Alder Centre, via telephone or via a video call.

Volunteer services

We offer a range of volunteer services at The Alder Centre and our volunteers are a much valued part of our team.

Welcomers

Our Welcomer Volunteers are on hand at The Alder Centre for whenever you would like to Drop In and get further information, find out what services we have and how to access them, to have a brew and a chat or to take time to acknowledge your child in our heartspace.

If you have an appointment, they will help settle you in while you wait. Our Welcomers are all bereaved themselves and have completed specialist volunteer training.

Volunteer supported activities

We are always trying out new activities to meet the individual needs of our child bereaved families. These are supported by Volunteers so there is always someone on hand to offer understanding and a helping hand. Upcoming events can be found on our website and twitter: @AlderCentre

Befriending

We recognise that not everyone will want professional counselling and may prefer the support of a volunteer who is also a bereaved parent themselves and is trained in the skill of ‘befriending’. The befriending service at The Alder Centre aims to provide a listening ear and peer support for anyone affected by the death of a child of any age.

Befriending is not counselling but may be in-addition to counselling and group work, or as an alternative. We can arrange for you to meet via telephone, video call or face to face with one of our trained bereaved parent volunteers at The Alder Centre

Therapeutic breaks

We run therapeutic breaks annually. They provide the perfect opportunity for families, individual parents, adults and children to meet with others who are also bereaved, including our trained volunteer befrienders, themselves bereaved parents.

Details of our latest Therapeutic break can be found on our website page.

Telephone helpline

The Child Death Helpline is a free service for anyone affected by the death of a child of any age. The helpline is delivered by our trained, volunteer bereaved parents who answer all calls, supervised and supported by The Alder Centre’s Volunteer Co-ordinator.

The helpline is open every day throughout the year to provide a listening ear.

Freephone from landlines: 0800 282 986
Freephone from mobiles: 0808 800 6019

Monday to Friday: 10.00 – 13.00
Tuesday & Wednesday: 13.00 – 16.00
Every evening: 19.00 – 22.00

An interpreting service is also available. For more information please visit the Child Death Helpline website.

Reflection and remembrance

Throughout the year our volunteers and staff work hard to provide several events in memory of children who have died. In December, our annual Candle Service at Liverpool Cathedral is a commemorative and loving way, at a difficult time of the year for child bereaved families, to reflect and remember.

A smaller, more intimate, Light Up a Life service, also takes place at The Alder Centre, when tree lights are switched on in the memory of deceased children. A Book of Remembrance is kept in The Alder Centre. You may have an inscription included and the book is there at any time for you to look at.

Every year, on the anniversary of a child’s death, it is opened to the inscribed page as a celebration of a child’s life and to mark their passing. The Alder Centre also has an electronic Remembrance Book, where you can design your own pages, include photographs, music and links to social media.

Please contact The Alder Centre if you would like a dedication for a child including in our Remembrance Books.

Training

The Alder Centre provides a range of training courses and continuing professional development workshops, designed for anyone who is looking to develop their knowledge and skills.

Our courses are delivered by qualified and experienced trainers who are themselves working in the subject areas and are therefore able to draw on their experience to enhance the theoretical input and student understanding. If you are interested in training, please contact us.

The Alder Centre staff have received awareness training to be able to offer a service that is inclusive of all sexualities and gender identities.

Alder Hey Children’s Charity proudly funded our bespoke Alder Centre building and continue to support us with our costs, including volunteer activities, holistic therapy sessions and our annual Remembrance Services. You can make a donation to support us by visiting our Charity website.

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