
Grief Support Resources

Finding Support When You Need It Most.
At Jacinta's Smile, we believe no one should face grief alone. This resources page offers a curated collection of external guides, directories, and support services to help individuals and families navigate the complexities of grief. Whether you're a parent supporting a grieving child, a teenager processing loss, or a family member seeking guidance, these trusted organizations provide expert advice and compassionate support tailored to different stages of life and grief.
Supporting Young Children Through Loss
These resources offer practical advice for parents and carers on helping children understand and cope with grief in an age-appropriate, compassionate manner.
This resource, published by the HSE, lists a wide range of bereavement support services by county in the Republic of Ireland.
This resource, published by Barnardos, explores some of the issues for children under the age of 6 when someone dies. Children in this age bracket are still in a sense-making stage in their lives; however, they know when a loved one is missing and this can bring on anxiety and upset in the child. This resource provides advice on steps parents and carers can take to support children in this age group in an age-appropriate way.
This article, published by Edutopia, highlights the importance of play in supporting young children to navigate complex social issues. Play is a key asset in a child’s sense-making toolbox and should be widely encouraged and appropriately supported.
This resource, published by Barnardos, acknowledges the changes and challenges taking place in teenagers’ lives. Unlike young children, teenagers are mature enough to understand the finality of death, but they may not be equipped to handle the emotional challenges that come with it. Furthermore, their ability to fully articulate their feelings, connect with other peers on this issue, and navigate complex challenges associated with being a teenager may be limited.
This resource, published by Grief Encounters, identifies common feelings and responses demonstrated by bereaved teenagers and provides advice on how to deal with these new challenges.
This resource, published with the support of Boston Children’s Hospital, was designed to support parents who have recently experienced the death of a child. Part 5 is dedicated to supporting siblings and grandparents.
Support Organisations*:
A Little Lifetime Foundation
A Little Lifetime Foundation ( formerly Isands - Irish Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society) was founded in 1983 by a group of bereaved parents who searched for support after their baby died. At A Little Lifetime Foundation, we understand the profound impact of such loss and are dedicated to providing compassionate assistance to those who need us.
Our mission is to empower families to navigate the grieving process with dignity and resilience. Through our programs, support groups, and online resources, we strive to create a safe and nurturing environment where individuals can find solace and connection.
Website: www.alittlelifetime.ie
Email: info@alittlelifetime.ie
Phone: 01 8829030
Anam Cara
Anam Cara provides monthly online and face-to-face group meetings throughout the island of Ireland. These are open to all bereaved parents with an emphasis on peer support. We also facilitate additional online bereavement support evenings with featured guests speakers who give an insightful talk about parental grief.
Website: www.anamcara.ie/
Email: info@anamcara.ie
Phone: 01 4045378
Children’s Palliative Hub
This portal, dedicated to both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, offers invaluable resources, information, personal stories, and a directory of services available for parents, families and carers of children and young people with palliative care needs.
Website: www.childrenspalliativehub.com
Every Life Counts
This online outreach is a place where parents of children who were diagnosed with a terminal condition can share their memories, their joy, their pain, and their love. It's a place where the lives of our much-loved children are celebrated, and where we can reach out to parents in similar situations.
Website: www.everylifecounts.ie
Email: info@everylifecounts.ie
Phone: 01 8792382
Feileacain
Féileacáin is dedicated to supporting those affected by the loss of a baby. We provide personal, emotional and practical support to bereaved parents and their families, whenever they need it. This includes Memory Making, counselling, social work advice, befriending services, play therapy, support meetings and Services of Remembrance.
Website: www.feileacain.ie
Email: admin@feileacain.ie
Phone: (028) 51301
First Light
FirstLight offers free professional support and provides information to families in Ireland that have experienced the death of their child if aged from 0 to 18 years.
FirstLight is a trauma-informed organisation, offering Crisis Intervention and a Psychotherapy service. Our services are provided nationwide by our team of professionally accredited, fully insured and Garda-vetted psychotherapists and counsellors.
Website: www.firstlight.ie
Email: info@firstlight.ie
Phone: 01 873 2711
International Trisomy Alliance
We are a volunteer, not-for-profit organization focusing on trisomy 13 and trisomy 18, (also known as Patau and Edwards syndromes respectively). Our mission is to offer trisomy 13 and trisomy 18 support groups, physicians and other professionals, accurate information and resources, and to be a mechanism for sharing between groups.
Website: www.internationaltrisomyalliance.com
Irish Childhood Bereavement Network
Members share a vision that all children and young people, together with the adults in their lives, can easily access a choice of high quality local and national information, guidance and support to enable them to manage the impact of death on their lives.
Website: www.childhoodbereavement.ie
Email: info@softireland.com
Phone: 01 679 3188
Irish Hospice Foundation
There will come a time in our life when we will need care through illness, at the end of life and in bereavement. There is a real appetite to embrace conversations and equip the Irish people with the language, tools and opportunities to open up and feel safe to share their thoughts and concerns about dying, death and bereavement. The Irish Hospice Foundation support all elements of dying and grieving, providing support for everyone involved.
Website: www.hospicefoundation.ie
Email: info@hospicefoundation.ie
Phone: 01 6793188
Irish Neonatal Health Alliance
The INHA is Ireland’s first collaborative platform and network to represent the interests of preterm infants, ill infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) and their families. It comprises of families affected by a preterm birth, multi-disciplinary healthcare experts, educators, researchers, political decision makers and industry partners who share the common goal of reducing the incidence of preterm birth in Ireland, supporting families with infants in the NICU and improving the long-term health of preterm infants by ensuring the optimum prevention, treatment, care and support.
Website: www.inha.ie
Email: info@inha.ie
Phone: 085 1920602
Jacinta's Smile
Our mission is to ensure that all children and young people in Ireland that have lost a sibling can access support regardless of location or personal circumstances. We are trying to solve the hurtful experiences of Sibling Bereavement and the adverse affects on children and young adults following the death of a sibling
Website: www.jacintassmile.ie
Email: info@jacintassmile.ie
Telephone: 090 6625898 | Mobile: 087 4220000
Jack and Jill
Jack & Jill is a nationwide charity providing in-home nursing care and respite support for children up to the age of 6 with severe to profound cognitive delay.
This may include children with brain injury, genetic diagnosis, cerebral palsy, and undiagnosed conditions. Another key part of our service is end-of-life care for all children up to the age of 6, irrespective of diagnosis.
Website: www.jackandjill.ie
Email: info@jackandjill.ie
Phone: 045 894538
Laura Lynn
LauraLynn's mission is to provide a Community of Care that delivers evidence-based, personalised services to children with palliative care needs, complex care needs and complex disabilities, while also providing family support services and a home to our residents where quality-of-life is paramount.
Website: https://www.lauralynn.ie/
Email: info@lauralynn.ie
Phone: 01 289 3151
Leanbh Mo Chroi
Leanbh Mo Chroi wishes to end the stigma around TFMR and encourage healing by offering support and ending the silence that has existed, where cases like ours are seldom talked about or acknowledged.
Website: www.lmcsupport.ie
Email: lmcbereavement@gmail.com
Miscarriage Association of Ireland
The Association is a registered charity set up by and run with the support of women and men who themselves have experienced the loss of a baby through miscarriage. We offer telephone and email support to bereaved parents. In addition, we hold monthly peer to peer support group meetings, organise an annual service of remembrance, keep books of remembrance, and place memorial stones throughout the country.
Website: www.miscarriage.ie
Phone: 087 3656887 | 087 6529719
Rosabels Rooms
Rosabel’s Rooms is a Galway-born child loss project, now a national initiative, in partnership the Irish Hospice Foundation, that is reaching out to bereaved parents and families all over Ireland. They advocate for more appropriate hospital settings for families experiencing loss, support with loss of earnings and funeral costs and offer support services after child loss.
Website: www.hospicefoundation.ie/our-supports-services/bereavement-loss-hub/rosabels-rooms
Email: rosabelsrooms@gmail.com
Nurture Health
Nurture Health provides professional counselling support services to women & partners, navigating all aspects of pregnancy, fertility, childbirth, loss, perimenopause and menopause.
Website: www.nurturehealth.ie
Email: info@nurturehealth.ie
Phone: 085 8619585
SOFT Ireland
Set up by parents for parents of Trisomy children, SOFT, the Support Organisation for Trisomy, in Ireland, is a voluntary group dedicated to providing support for families of children born with Patau's Syndrome (Trisomy 13), Edwards' Syndrome (Trisomy 18) and related chromosomal disorders. Support is provided during prenatal diagnosis, during the child's life, and after the child's passing
Website: www.softireland.com
Email: info@softireland.com
Phone: 1800 213 218
Teach Ruadh Foundation
The Teach Ruadh Foundation is an initiative set up by Sinead and her partner Keith, following the tragic passing of their baby boy Ruadhán late in 2022 . Named in memory of baby Ruadhán, Urban Brand Creative pledges to annually donate €30,000 worth of free services to worthwhile registered charities, community organisations or Not for Profits. Teach Ruadh Foundation also sponsors CPR training. There is also a respite home for grieving families launching in 2026.
Website: www.teachruadhfoundation.ie
*Disclaimer:
This directory has been compiled as a helpful reference for families and individuals seeking additional support during bereavement. The groups listed here are independent, not-for-profit organisations offering a variety of services and resources.
While Jacinta’s Smile does not operate or formally endorse these organisations, we acknowledge the important role they may play in supporting people through grief and loss. Inclusion in this list does not imply affiliation, recommendation, or responsibility on the part of The Coombe. We encourage families to explore these resources and find what best suits their individual needs.