Bereavement & Loss - Children & Loss

Course details

We know that loss and bereavement have significant personal, community, and health impacts yet are under-studied and not sufficiently incorporated into the curricula of health and social care professionals.



The science around loss, bereavement and resilience continues to evolve, so it is now possible to identify both risk and protective factors and, consequently, to intervene to benefit individual and community health.



When a child experiences loss, either through death or parental separation, their needs are often misunderstood or overlooked. Because children may express their grief in ways that are different to adults, their reactions may go unrecognised.



The Professional Certificate in Children and Loss, a collaborative programme between RCSI and the Irish Hospice Foundation, seeks to equip practitioners with the necessary skills to understand and support children on their grief journey.

The Professional Certificate in Children and Loss consists of two modules:

• Understanding Children and Loss

• Addressing Loss Issues with Children



Each module consists of approximately 200 hours of learning including lecture time, self-directed learning, assignment preparation and integrative sessions.

Applications are invited from professionals whose work brings them into contact with children who are bereaved through a family death or parental separation. The course will be of interest to teachers, chaplains, social workers, social care workers, psychologists, counsellors, nurses and others who meet bereaved children in their work.



Applicants must possess a Level 8 degree in a relevant area or international equivalent*. Alternatively, eligibility may be demonstrated through a defined recognition of prior learning (RPL) process. RPL requires demonstration of significant experience in working with children in a professional capacity or through formal volunteering, completion of CPD or other training in a relevant area and, relevance of course to career/opportunity to apply learning.



An academic transcript is also required. An academic transcript lists your complete academic history: programmes attended, a breakdown of marks/grades achieved, the degree awarded, your overall grade and conferring date.



Applicants for whom English is not their native language may need to arrange a test to confirm proficiency in English with the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).



*International degree equivalency should be verified using the NARIC service from QQI.

The Professional Certificate in Children and Loss consists of two modules:



Understanding Children and Loss

Addressing Loss Issues with Children



This is a part-time blended course that runs from September to March each year with two modules. Each module consists of approximately 200 hours of learning, including lecture time, self-directed learning, assignment preparation and integrative sessions.



Module 1 (September-December 2024) will be taught online on Zoom (with the exception of the orientation session on 5 September 2024, which will be in-person).



Module 2 (January-March 2025) will be taught in person (with the exception of the 6 March 2025 integrative session, which will be online).



All in-person sessions will be held at the Irish Hospice Foundation, Morrison Chambers, 4th Floor, 32 Nassau Street, Dublin 2, D02 X627 from 9:15am-4:15pm.

Your future

Participants on this programme come from a range of professions and sectors across Ireland and the UK.



We aim to work with you to develop a new and informed approach to how bereavement care is provided in the settings in which you work.