Telling a child or young person someone they love has a life-limiting illness

Preparing a child or young person for the death of a loved one is very difficult, and children will often need a lot of support to get them through this worrying time. The thought of communicating to a child that someone important to them is dying can be daunting and what you tell a child or young person will depend on their age and understanding. It can be useful to prepare what you are going to say, such as in bite-size chunks or allowing a child to ask you any questions they might have. Knowing how to support a child, young person or teenager in the lead up to someone dying can help equip them with useful coping mechanisms after death.