The Children's Collaborative for Healing and Support

Join us at the 28th Annual NACG Symposium on Children's Grief in Kansas City to explore the latest research, clinical advancements, and best practices in supporting youth and families who are grieving. Connect with other professionals, exchange ideas with colleagues, earn continuing education credits, and gain valuable insights through diverse workshops and presentations on grief support, program development, fundraising, and more! Learn more and register today ?? https://lnkd.in/g5j4iNK8 View the session schedule ?? https://nacg.org/schedule/

This week, our CEO Catherine Jaynes, had the opportunity to present at the Utah Coalition for Community Schools. We're incredibly grateful for our partnership with?Promise Partnership Utah. Sharing the progress made in supporting families in Utah who have lost a parent or caregiver is an important step toward expanding our reach and ensuring even more families receive the support they need. https://lnkd.in/ePPch2cg

Join us at the 27th National Symposium on Children’s Grief in Kansas City, MO, for Thursday’s plenary: Data, Identification, Resources: A Holistic Approach to Advancing the Childhood Bereavement Field. Maria Collins, Dr. Micki Burns, Dr. David Weaver, and Dr. Catherine Jaynes will explore the power of data in identifying and supporting bereaved children. From key findings in the CBEM Special Topic Report to the role of Social Security benefits and the Children’s Collaborative for Healing and Support, this session will highlight critical insights and resources shaping the future of bereavement care. Don’t miss this important conversation on bridging gaps and advancing support for youth and families who are grieving. Register for the National Symposium on Children's Grief today ?? nacg.org/symposium. ? ? ? #childrengrieve #NACGSymposium New York Life Insurance Company #NYLFoundation, Judi's House/JAG Institute, University of South Carolina, The Children's Collaborative for Healing and Support

“Every time a child loses a parent or a primary caregiver, we need to ask, are they safe? Are they supported? Are they in school? Do they have enough food? This research and these questions can and should guide our policy, programmatic, and funding responses in the United States and globally.” — Gillian Huebner, executive director, Collaborative on Global Children's Issues Deaths of despair—drug overdose, suicide, homicide, and unintentional injuries —are driving increases in orphanhood and, at the same time, exacerbating its consequences. A January 2025 report in?Nature Medicine, "Orphanhood and caregiver death among children in the United States by all-cause mortality, 2000–2021,” estimated that in 2021, 2.9 million children in the United States, or 4.2% of all U.S. children, had experienced the death of at least one parent or grandparent caregiver responsible for the most basic needs of the child. Yet, this is rarely recognized as a public health crisis. In a recent webinar, experts examined the impact of all-cause orphanhood worldwide and shared evidence-based policy responses from around the world that could be adapted across different settings to respond to this crisis. ?? ?? Watch the full webinar here: https://bit.ly/4hklDWr ?? Read the Nature Medicine report: https://bit.ly/3FGWAQn The webinar featured: ?? Stiven Arroyo ??Chris Desmond ?? Kirsten Di Martino ?? Philip Goldman ?? Susan Hillis ?? Gillian Huebner ?? Jo?l-Pascal Ntwali N'konzi ?? Elli Oswald ?? Karen Phillips ?? Oliver Ratmann ?? Laura Rawlings ?? Andrea Santos Souza ??Emma Trout? ??Sydney Tucker ??Juliette (Ettie) Unwin This event was co-sponsored by the?Collaborative on Global Children's Issues, the Thrive Center for Children, Families, and Communities, and?the?Global Reference Group on Children Affected by Crisis. #ChildProtection #PublicHealth #GlobalChildren #Georgetown

Happy World Social Work Day! March is also Social Work Month, and we’re taking a moment to celebrate the incredible social workers who are part of our alliance. Your dedication to supporting children and teens who are grieving makes a lasting impact, and we are so grateful for the work you do to ensure no child grieves alone. Thank you for all that you do! ?? ? ? ? #SWMonth2025 #CompassionPlusAction #SocialWorkMonth #NASW National Association of Social Workers

We are thrilled to share a highlight on our Utah initiative! In partnership with the New York Life Foundation and the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, we continue to work towards increased access to grief support for children who have lost a parent or caregiver. Through this program, death certificate data is used to identify bereaved children, ensuring their families are contacted by 211 Utah service navigators. This compassionate outreach connects them with vital grief resources, including The Sharing Place, so they don’t have to navigate loss alone. With the support of Gov. Spencer Cox, this initiative is already making a real difference—helping families find hope, healing, and essential services during life’s most challenging moments. Together, we are building a stronger, more supportive community where no child has to grieve alone.

Tracy is an incredible leader and the State of Utah is lucky to have her!

Grief is one of the most profound yet overlooked challenges a child can face. Every day, countless children experience the devastating loss of a parent or caregiver, and without the right support, the impact can last a lifetime. That’s why organizations like Hearts of Hope Foundation, Inc. are so critical. They provide compassionate support, community connections, and resources that help children and families navigate loss in a way that fosters healing and resilience. Check out the hearts that a few young folks made at an event at the Children’s Museum of Memphis.

Governor Spencer Cox and I highlight in the oped below the 377,000 children who lost parents or caregivers to COVID, and how Utah has created systems to identify, connect and support children who lose a parent for any reason. The Chidlren's Collaborative for Healing & Support, ably led by Catherine Jaynes and Emma Trout, and the New York Life Insurance Company Foundation effectively led by Heather Nesle and Maria Collins are ensuring this effort takes hold nationally to help the 6 million children who experience this traumatic loss.

In a recent op-ed, Utah Governor Spencer Cox and our co-founder, John Bridgeland, highlight Utah's pioneering efforts to support bereaved children. By implementing simple yet transformative measures—like adding a checkbox on death certificates to identify dependents and including questions on school enrollment forms about the loss of a caregiver—Utah has already identified over 1,100 bereaved children and families. These initiatives, made possible by a partnership with New York Life Insurance Company Foundation, ensure that grieving children receive the resources and support they need. As the Children's Collaborative for Healing and Support, we are committed to expanding these efforts nationwide, advocating for policies and practices that identify and assist bereaved children in every state. Together, we can transform loss into resilience and grief into hope. Read the full article below. #ChildhoodBereavement #HealingAndSupport #UtahLeadsTheWay #ChildrensCollaborative