“Twice a week, I go into St Peter’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to meet with families who are going through the unimaginable. As a Family Support Worker, it’s important for me to connect with these parents, grandparents and siblings, ensuring they know that myself and Shooting Star are there for them by providing emotional and practical support with the challenges they face in the NICU, as well as the longer-term implications of having a potentially life-limited child.
This special role started in January under a vital partnership with St Peter’s and is part of our bereavement service expansion. It extends our reach to make sure we are there for every family who need us, enabling them access to all our services. By having a presence in the unit, staff are also aware of Shooting Star and know they can refer families to us. A coffee morning is held every Thursday in the NICU, to bring families together to widen their support network and share their journey. These families often feel isolated due to being in hospital for a long period of time and away from their loved ones back home. This is another initiative to connect people together and give them emotional support to guide them through.
For families facing the devastating loss of their baby, my role extends to St Peter’s Daffodil Suite. Here, I assist with memory making to ensure families have precious keepsakes. They will be allocated a dedicated Family Support Worker and have access to our specialist bereavement services for three years and three months. Being a Family Support Worker is incredibly meaningful to me. Being able to support the family through memory making, I can give them something physical to remember them by. By being able to listen, guide and support them, I go away every day knowing that I’ve made a small difference in their lives.”