A Northants mother is calling for better support for bereaved children

A mother has called for more support for grieving children after her ex-partner took his own life earlier this year.

Anne-Marie, from north Northamptonshire, said help was readily available to her but there was unmet need for child support in the county.

She has now launched the Seddon Legacy Project, which provides grief support and memory-making activities, inspired by her two children’s struggles to cope with their father’s suicide.

Anne-Marie said: “The reason I want to create (the project) is to establish initial communication (with the children) so that they know that they are not excluded or left on their own.”

In Northamptonshire every year about 60 people take their own lives.

Anne-Marie explained that her former partner’s mental health worsened after their separation, although he sought help from his GP and a mental health clinic and seemed to be improving.

She said his death had a traumatic effect on their children, especially since one of them discovered his body with Anne-Marie.

“I was extremely impressed with the support offered,” she said.

“But it is one thing to understand grief as an adult and another thing to understand it as a child who is helpless.”

Anne-Marie added that her eldest child struggles with many different emotions.

She said: “He asks questions that as a parent you just don’t know how to answer.”

The Seddon Legacy Project is still in its early stages and Anne-Marie is collecting data on children’s bereavement to help inform its direction.

She stressed the importance of openly discussing suicide with children: “The less we talk about suicide, the bigger a problem it will be. This has to be a priority.”