Peer Group Support:

Children and young people of a similar age and stage of development with trained Facilitators that can build;

• a safe space to meet with others who understand, empathise, and connect with each other through their shared feelings and experiences.
• a space to begin to find their voice and talk about difficult feelings in a safe and supportive environment – many children and young people can mask and hide their story and feelings.
• a sense of belonging and comfort with others in the group, without any spotlight on a child or young person individually.
• gain insight, understanding and self-awareness from listening to others in the group.
• develop coping skills that help a child/young person begin to adapt and adjust to life without a special person or life where the family unit has changed.
• improved social isolation, and a decrease in feelings of isolation, loneliness, feeling different
• improved self-confidence and self-worth
• enhance and boost emotional and psychological wellbeing following significant change, transition and loss.

The Rainbows group support is based on children and young people of different ages and stages of development being in the same group.

Bereavement groups are organised for bereaved children and young people only.

Parental Separation groups are organised with children and young people following parental separation, divorce and relationship breakdown only.

Under no circumstances are groups mixed with different losses.

Programmes:

Rainbows has a range of different levels of bereavement programmes and of separation programmes to meet the different age groups.

The group support continues for nine consecutive weeks. It is a free service.

No child/young person in any group will be two years older than the youngest member of the group.

A child must be age 7 to join a Rainbows group.

Rainbows groups support age 7 – 18 years.

Themes in both programmes are very similar – a key focus at all levels in both programmes is on feelings – the ordinary everyday feelings but also the more difficult and stronger feelings – anger, sadness, confusion, guilt, self- blame to name a few.

Bereavement programmes at all levels talk about the person that has died – who the person was, their name, (children and young people often find it hard to say their name ),  their memories of that person, special times they shared , the ordinary things they did together and most especially what that person meant to each child/young person, how that person made them feel.

Separation Programmes focus on the family – many children and young people can think/feel that they are no longer a family and wonder where their family is now. Through various focussed activities, children and young people are supported to see their family as those who live with them and others who do not live with them but are still part of their family. We talk about time with Mam/Time with Dad – we do not talk about overnights/visits/access or custody/handovers. We make very effort to support children and young people to adjust to the changes that have happened in their life but also focus on what is still the same.

Both programmes content include gentle coping strategies that a child /young person may find helpful as they adjust to changed circumstances.

Each child/young person will have a journal – this is stored safely and confidentially throughout the nine weeks – Level 1,2,3 journals are shredded at the end of each nine weeks programme sessions. Teenagers can opt to keep their journal or have it shredded.

Other activities of the programmes include – Use of story, scenarios, discussion cards, statement cards, movement activities, breathing activities, dooddle journey cards, feelings and emotions cards, poster cards. Photographs.

Other resources used include – sensory objects, play dough, pens, crayons, markers, personalised folders, gratitude jar.