MetLife UK partners with children’s bereavement charity Winston’s Wish
February 06, 2023
Children’s Mental Health Week 2023 runs from Monday 6th February to 12th February 2023. It’s an annual initiative by children’s mental health charity Place2Be, aiming to shine a spotlight on the importance of children and young people’s mental health.
With this year’s theme of “Let’s Connect” in mind, and against the backdrop of the pandemic and current mental health and financial pressures facing many families today, there has never been a more pertinent time to address the overall wellness of young people to ensure adequate emotional support and counselling is available. This is even more acute in the event of a child or young person experiencing the death of a parent or loved one.
Every day, 100 children lose a parent in the UK. It is so important that children and young people are adequately supported throughout all stages of the grieving process, so they can properly come to terms with this profound loss and work towards a positive future. Via our new partnership with the UK’s leading childhood bereavement charity, Winston’s Wish, we are committed to supporting this vital work.
Charlotte Lade, Head of Communications MetLife UK, and Chair of MetLife Makes a Difference commented: “With the dedicated focus on providing round-the-clock mental health support to our customers and their families, it made complete sense to partner with Winston’s Wish. The work they do is invaluable to the wonderful children and young people who are very sadly bereaved, both in the local community and across the UK.
“More than 100 children losing a parent every day in the UK is a hard stat to absorb and Children’s Mental Health Week is a timely reminder of the fact that the impact to each of the bereaved and their family could be exacerbated even further without the invaluable emotional and practical bereavement support in place. The work that Winston’s Wish do is so important, so that they can engage with it in a way that is meaningful to them and a time they need it.”
More details on Winston’s Wish:
Winston’s Wish provides support and a wide range of resources to help children, young people, and the adults supporting them, after the death of someone important. This includes immediate support through a helpline and digital chat services as well as access to specialist publications, resources and training. Group and one to one support is also available from a dedicated team of bereavement support workers
Louisa Hancox, Philanthropy and Partnerships Manager for Winston’s Wish added: “We are so pleased to be working alongside MetLife UK. The partnership will enable us to raise significant awareness of the support that we provide for families and help to raise vital funds for our services.