Profile - National Suicide Prevention Alliance

Organisation Details

We need a few details about your organisation and its work, which will accompany your action plan on the NSPA website and ensure that searches are filtered correctly.

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Organisation Name	The Compassionate Friends
Organisation address	Kilburn Grange, Priory Park Road, London NW6 7UJ.
Website	Www.tcf.org.uk
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About the organisation	The Compassionate Friends (TCF) is a charitable organisation of bereaved parents, siblings and grandparents dedicated to the support and care of other similarly bereaved family members who have suffered the death of a child or children of any age and from any cause. Many parents bereaved by suicide have found help, support and comfort from knowing that others are able to share their unique pain and grief. We run a national telephone helpline staffed by bereaved parents, which is available 365 days a year. We provide one-to-one and group support including weekend retreats, as well as online support and information.
Which region(s) does your organisation cover?	National East of England East Midlands London North East North West South East South West Welsh Borders West Midlands Yorkshire and Humber
What sector does your organisation work in?	Voluntary and Community Sector
What area(s) does your organisation work in?	Bereavement

Details of nominated lead contact

As set out in the NSPA's Membership Agreement, member organisations should have a nominated lead contact that has the delegated authority to represent the organisation and vote at members' meetings.

Title	Ms
First Name	Carolyn
Last Name	Brice
Role within organisation	Chief Executive
Email address	info@tcf.org.uk
Contact number	0345 120 3785
As the nominated lead contact for your organisation are you happy for your contact details to be shared with other NSPA members?	Yes

Details of additional contact #1

If there are colleagues within your organisation that should be included in any NSPA member communications in addition to you, as the lead contact, please provide details of their name, role and contact details. Their details will be added to the membership database.

Please note that for the purpose of any NSPA elections or other selected activities where voting/ input is limited to one representative of the organisation, the lead contact will be contacted in the first instance.

Title	Mrs
First Name	Rosie
Last Name	Wilson
Role within organisation	Support Group Volunteer (Bereaved by suicide - Cambridge)
Email address	p.wilson34@ntlworld.com
Contact number	07805443818
As a nominated contact for your organisation, are you happy for these contact details to be shared with other NSPA members?	Yes

Details of additional contact #2

Title	Ms
First Name	Marie
Last Name	Best
Role within organisation	Support Group Volunteer (Bereaved by suicide - London)
Email address	mariebest@gmail.com
Contact number	07802840850
As a nominated contact for your organisation, are you happy for these contact details to be shared with other NSPA members?	Yes

Details of additional contact #3

Title	Mr
First Name
Last Name
Role within organisation
Email address
Contact number
As a nominated contact for your organisation, are you happy for these contact details to be shared with other NSPA members?	Yes

Action Plan

The NSPA believes that everyone has a part to play in reducing the number of suicides and better supporting those affected by suicide. The NSPA's Action Plans are about demonstrating this; by publically sharing what work your organisation is doing to tackle issues relating to suicide, it demonstrates the broad range of actions an organisation can take - no matter how big or small - and encourages other organisations to become members themselves and take action.

The NSPA Declaration lists seven outcomes to reduce suicide and improve support for those bereaved or affected by suicide that it believes its members can work together to achieve (see "The difference we aim to make").

How does your organisation contribute to preventing suicide and supporting those affected by it?	TCF holds over 80 support groups throughout the UK for parents bereaved of a son or daughter from any cause, including suicide. We also hold specialist groups for those parents bereaved by suicide in London, Bristol, Cambridge and Glasgow. In all the groups, parents meet in a safe space to share in confidence their thoughts and to support each other through their grief. TCF’s Online Community Forum has a specific ‘bereaved by suicide’ section and there is a private Facebook page for parents bereaved by suicide. An annual retreat weekend is held for parents bereaved by suicide. Our sibling support group online includes many bereaved brothers and sisters affected by the suicide of their sibling. We have recently updated our own policy and procedures for TCF volunteers on supporting bereaved parents who express suicidal thoughts or actions.
What are your current priorities?	- Expanding our support for parents and siblings bereaved by suicide, through increasing our support groups around the UK and more specialist retreat weekends. - Introduction of a ‘grief companion’ scheme whereby we will match newly bereaved parents who have lost their child to suicide to those parents who are further on in their grief for support and friendship. - Increasing our support for bereaved siblings over 18 years, as there is so little offered to this age group in terms of support.
What challenges are you currently facing?	There are still gaps in bereavement support for parents and bereaved siblings, so recruiting, training and supporting volunteers continues to be a priority for us. Demand for support from bereaved parents and their families currently outstrips supply. It can also be challenging on a limited budget to find ways to spread the word that we offer support and understanding to bereaved parents. Funding is always a constant challenge and we welcome support for our unique peer-to-peer services.

Many thanks for taking the time to complete this membership registration form.

If you have any queries or would like to talk through any aspect of the form, please contact: