Posted on Thursday 17th October 2019
Matt Wells from Staffordshire libraries service, Gayle Routledge from A Child of Mine Charity and Dana Toob a volunteer from Compton Care.
Families affected by bereavement in Perton will soon be able to get advice and support at their local library.
The Perton ‘Star’ Café’ which launches on 4 November 2019 will take place from 9:30am to 11:30am on the first Monday of every month. The service will provide a friendly and welcoming opportunity for anyone affected by bereavement to get advice and support. The new service is a partnership between Staffordshire County Council’s Library and Arts Service, Compton Care and Stafford based charity, A Child of Mine.
A Child of Mine supports families across Staffordshire and works alongside healthcare professionals when a child has died.
They provide confidential emotional support, practical information and guidance to families, and provide training and education for professionals.
Gill Heath, Cabinet Member responsible for libraries at Staffordshire County Council said:
“We are delighted to be working with ‘A Child of Mine’ as part of our continued partnership with Compton Care. The Library at Perton is a great community hub and so the perfect place to establish an important group of this kind, which can hopefully provide much needed support for people in our communities in South Staffordshire.”
A Child of Mine already provide several groups for parents and both younger and older children who have lost a sibling. These groups provide a safe, friendly environment where they can meet others who understand and are also useful for helping people access information, advice and signposting to local services and support.
Gayle Routledge, from A Child of Mine, said:
“We are passionate about making a difference to bereaved families and providing them with as much support as possible during the dark days that lie ahead. We are delighted that Compton Care and Perton Library will be supporting us as we reach out to bereaved families in South Staffordshire. The library is already a welcoming, safe place to come for families and we hope this partnership will encourage more parents and families to seek us out.”
Maz Kull, from Compton Care, said:
“We work really closely with Staffordshire Libraries, they support three of our bereavement hubs already in South Staffordshire and so this seemed like a natural progression of our partnership.”
People can find out more about the service at the library, or by visiting either www.achildofmine.org.uk/ or www.comptoncare.org.uk