Angel Families - Child and Sibling Loss

HOW IT ALL STARTED:

It was February 2021 and Jayden was 16 years old when Alicia received the phone call no parent ever wants to receive. There had been an accident and Jayden was involved. Within days, the family was faced with the unbearable reality of Jayden’s sudden death.

Throughout this dark and confusing time, as she tried to navigate a new life, it became very clear that this was a journey that Alicia would take alone.

Being a bereaved parent of a young person is a heartbreaking and soul crushing experience and one that is lonely because (thankfully) she is one of only a few.

Families like Alicia’s harbour their feelings to protect others because they do not want to burden anyone else with the darkness and sadness of reality. It is a lonely truth that no one knows the extraordinary emotions of a bereaved parent unless they too have experienced loss.

Angel Families was established in 2022 on the Fraser Coast in response to a lack of support services provided to families that have excruciatingly experienced the loss of a child (21 and under). We are a community of people who have been brought together by tragic loss and lived experience. A community of mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters who we can sit with through the bad days, remember on the good days and support through the days still to come.

 

            

 

 

 

 

 

 

Angel Families is based on an informal community-based peer support model. Research shows that most people who have experienced the death of an important person in their life greatly benefit from peer support. Angel Families peer support model consists of bringing people together in groups where they participate in activities to promote discussion, learning and exploration. Our group creates a safe environment for families to remember and share their grief story and develop a sense of possibility and hopefulness for the future.

 

 Angel Families - Child and Sibling Loss offers the following support services:

• National online support group
• Online resource library
• Grief Book borrowing library for all ages
• Grief seminars
• Pet sessions
• Craft sessions
• One on one peer connection
• Small group peer connection
• Can arrange free counselling sessions or discuss options about MHTP
• Community Education 

 

 

We are hold events for:

• Bereaved Mothers Day
• Bereaved Fathers Day
• Say their Name Day
• Easter
• Christmas 
• Acknowledgment of DOBs & DOD
• Siblings day
• Grief Camp (launched Jan 2025)

 

 

 

     Read our article in the January edition of Alive Magazine Wide Bay  

     Read our article in the July Edition of Palliative Care Queenslan

     Listen to our HBNC episode Changing Cultures Podcast

     Watch the news story 7News Story

For more information, the group can be found on Facebook Angel Families - Child & Sibling Loss Facebook Group or by contacting our incredible volunteer group via email angelfamilies@rallyforacause.org.au or on 0447 185 507 to find out more.   

Angel Families is not a crisis-support or emergency support service. 

If you are in an emergency situation or are at immediate risk of harming yourself or others, please call 000.

If you need immediate support call Lifeline 13 11 14 or Kids Helpline 1800 551 800

As a service to our community, Angel Families provides access to resources to support and inform help-seekers and their carers through their experience with grief and loss.

The content we share is for educational purposes only and should not substitute direct medical advice from a GP or other qualified mental health clinician.

Sponsors:

Angel Families is a proud, proud, proud, recipient of a very special Hervey Bay RSL Grant, this will mean we can achieve some BIG goals. 

Hervey Bay RSL, thank you. You are such an integral part of our community, and we thank you. 

Click Here to learn more about Hervey Bay RSL

Jodie and the Tedoo team are the generous investors who made our first ever grief camp a reality!