Registered Bereavement Friendly Churches may feel able to take further steps.  AtaLoss’ ultimate vision through the Loss and Hope project is for Bereavement Friendly Communities, where churches that are supporting bereaved people well are catalysts for improved bereavement support in their area.

One way to do this is to partner with other churches to lead on and deliver bereavement support for your city, town or rural community.  It may be that one church takes responsibility for running The Bereavement Journey® and another sets up a Bereavement Support Cafe or some other activity for bereaved people to attend.  Or you may share resources and offer support and activities jointly. 

Seek to include other organisations as well so that they can learn from the experience and so that more bereaved people can be helped. Bereavement support can be offered and directed to alongside many other social outreach programmes, such as food banks, debt advice, homelessness shelters, mental health support, substance abuse/addiction support.  Many social problems can arise from an unsupported/unresolved loss.

Collaborate also with e.g. GP surgeries, social prescribers, funeral directors, local crematoria and local councils, to review and deliver better bereavement support across your area. AtaLoss can provide bereavement support training for any organisation.

Some of our most enlightened communities have even set up a local fund to support families when funeral costs and day to day finances are thrown into crisis as a result of a bereavement. 

Another step up is to join in and integrate with the wider community where there are programmes of collaborative work between local authorities, local charities and faith communities, such as Compassionate Communities.