Cruse in Birmingham provides a wide range of bereavement support services including: one to one support at a range of locations around the city, a wide range of facilitated support groups, telephone information and support for clients and professionals, support for schools and tailor made bereavement awareness training for external agencies. Our support groups include groups for Men, Traumatic Bereavement Groups, and groups for our more senior residents.
Why the community needs usWe supported nearly 1000 bereaved residents every year with a wide range of FREE bereavement support services. Although we support people of all ages, the majority of our service users are adults who have the responsibility of children or older parents to support. By giving people the space to talk about their grief, we give them the strength to continue their carer roles. With our support, people feel able to return to work and feel better able to cope with every day responsibilities.
Our impact on the communityPeople complete evaluations once they have finished receiving support. From evaluations last year, 90% of our clients rated our service as excellent, with 10% rating it as good. All of our clients would recommend our service to a friend/family member. Many felt improvements in the following areas of their life: 95% felt emotionally stronger, 74% felt less anxious and 69% felt their depression had been reduced. By offering support we help people understand their grief and cope with their loss.
Cruse in Birmingham requires volunteers in any functions including front-line support but also fundraising and social media functions.