Bereavement services are moving up the political agenda, with the Palliative Care Review bringing funding changes for end-of-life and bereavement services in 2011. The Review’s interim report stresses the need for better integration of health and social care services, echoing the End of Life Care Strategy’s statement that care does not stop at the point of death.

This conference focused on how the needs of bereaved children can be met through joined-up thinking from hospices and hospitals, schools, local authorities and community and voluntary organisations.