Utah launches new program to increase grief support access for bereaved children
SALT LAKE CITY () — Bereaved children in Utah will now have improved access to grief resources after a program utilizing death certificates was launched by Utah leaders Tuesday.
In Utah, will lose a parent or caregiver before the age of 18-years-old. This new program seeks to provide support to bereaved children and uses death certificate data to contact caregivers and connect them with available resources.
The program was created by the and the New York Life Foundation and launched with the help of Gov. Spencer Cox on Tuesday, March 18.
In July 2023, optional checkboxes were added to Utah death certificates to identify if the deceased individual left behind surviving children. Since its implementation, Tracy Gruber, the executive director of Utah's Department of Health and Human Services, said that nearly 1,600 deceased individuals were known to have surviving children under 18 years old.
Using the death certificate data, families will be contacted by 211 Utah service navigators after letters are mailed by Utah DHHS to protect personal privacy. These letters will let caregivers know that help is available and connect families with service navigators, whose support is made possible by $400,000 in state funds and cross-agency coordination.
'I'm proud that here in Utah, we're building pathways of support for children who suddenly lose a parent. The first step is knowing who they are. Thanks to this important effort, we can now identify these kids so their caregivers can be connected with 211 Utah service navigators—helping them access the support and resources they need during such a difficult time,' said Cox.
Surviving children of a deceased parent or caregiver will then be directly connected with grief support, such as The Sharing Place.
Trina Supp and her 11-year-old son have received support from The Sharing Place following the sudden passing of his father in 2022. Supp and her son said resources like this have been making a difference.
'They're a really amazing support and help and we're just really grateful,' Supp said.
Through the program, the Granite School District identified bereaved children on their 2024 back-to-school forms, allowing 211 Utah to contact those families this year. Catherine Jaynes, the Children's Collaborative CEO and co-founder, said that the work has already started to expand the program to more school districts.
'Getting the current and future data of surviving children on death certificates is a big step towards helping these kids and giving them the best opportunity for success in life. Our initiative also seeks to identify and support bereaved children when the death occurred at earlier stages of their lives and for those who recently moved to Utah,' said Jaynes. 'All children navigating the tremendous hardships of parental loss should access Social Security survivor benefits and mental and emotional support.'
Jaynes said that according to the Social Security Administration, a child enrolled in Social Security benefits receives around $1,100, which too often is left untouched.
The Children's Collaborative was spearheaded by an earlier effort, the COVID Collaborative, which looked to offer support for those who lost a parent or caregiver during a pandemic.
'Utah is an example to the nation of what can be done to support children suffering unbelievable loss. The data show avoidable adverse outcomes for bereaved children including poverty, poor performance in school, drug and alcohol abuse. I'm grateful Utah is paving the way to intervene and stop long-term negative outcomes, helping children and families cope and grow from tragic loss,' said John Bridgeland, CEO and Co-founder of the Covid Collaborative and Co-Founder of the Children's Collaborative.
Resources from Children's Collaborative for Healing and Support Download
Resources from Children's Collaborative for Healing and Support Download
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