FirstLight (formerly the Irish Sudden Infant Death Association) - provides professional support to suddenly bereaved parents and families throughout Ireland.
Over the past number of years, the association’s remit has extended beyond Sudden Infant Death to support families bereaved by the sudden and unexpected and often unexplained death of a child or young person and to others affected by this death.
We would like all health professionals in Ireland to know that we exist – in case, they find themselves in a situation where they feel they can recommend a professional and qualified service to families immediately after the death of their child.
We have the professional support and structure available but we now need to let everyone know that we are here.
Even over the last 2 weeks alone there have been 6 sudden child deaths in Ireland; 3 of these families in crisis have contacted us for support which means that there are 3 families in crisis at the moment who could avail of the services that we provide free of charge to anyone who contacts us. It is imperative that people are aware of our services; our quest is to support all families in Ireland experiencing this horrific and painful loss and showing them the first light in their darkest and most difficult times.
We would welcome the opportunity to speak or be present at any relevant educational seminars/study days that you might be holding to highlight the free services that we provide to families and health care professionals nationally. We also deliver bespoke training sessions for front line health care professionals.
A unique feature of our training is that it is designed and delivered by professional and qualified staff who work directly for FirstLight and contribute to all the services we offer, and who can therefore draw on their own experience of working with suddenly bereaved parents and families.
We blend theory with practice in our training, ensuring that those attending will leave with practical, creative ideas to implement within their professionals roles. This ensures that our training days are clinically based. Delegates will have an interactive training experience using a wide range of teaching methods and will go away with practical ideas for working alongside bereaved parents and families.
Further information, Contact:
Louise O’Sullivan
FirstLight, Professional Support for Suddenly Bereaved parents, families and siblings
0868581268 018732711
FirstLight
www.firstlight.ie