Advice, support and comfort for the bereaved

After the death of a loved one, general advice and support is available from doctors, solicitors and social services. And, there are many organisations that can also offer help according to your particular circumstances.

Practical help

You can get practical help from a number of people and organisations, for example:

your funeral director
your family doctor
your solicitor
welfare officers and personnel departments at your workplace
your minister of religion
your local social services
your local Citizens Advice Bureau

A health visitor or district nurse who attended the deceased may also be able to help. If death was in a hospital, ask the sister or hospital chaplain.

Support and comfort from specialist organisations

You may feel that you want to talk with someone sympathetic who is outside your immediate family or with people who have been through a similar experience. In addition to ministers of religion and hospital chaplains there are organisations which give this kind of support.

Check the website of the organisation below that you think might help you; or look in the phone book or ask at a library for a local branch.

age NI (contacts seection)
Cruse Bereavement Care (contacts section)
Foundation for the study of infant deaths (contacts section)
The Miscarriage Association (contacts section)
Samaritans (contacts section)
Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (contacts section)
Support After Murder and Manslaughter (SAMM)
The Terrence Higgins Trust (AIDS or HIV)
Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide
Child Bereavement Charity

The Bereavement Service

If you need to report the death of someone receiving Social Security benefits, you can do this by contacting The Bereavement Service.

The Bereavement Service will:

record the date of death and notify each office that paid benefit to the deceased
offer you an eligibility check, as you may be entitled to claim benefits

If you are eligible to make a claim for Bereavement Benefits and/or a Social Fund Funeral payment The Bereavement Service can take the information for your application over the phone and forward this to the relevant office.