Beyond the death of a child: the economic and financial costs to families following the death of a child

This symposium will present and discuss data from the authors' recent research project "Beyond the death of a child: Economic costs and social impacts of the death of a child". Specifically it will cover the financial costs and economic impact experienced by the 103 bereaved families contacted by the researchers, including data on out of pocket medical and health related expenses and funeral and burial expenses incurred, impact on employment income and work performance, and impact on work around the home. Relevant recommendations for community and government action will also be discussed.

The first part of the symposium will be a presentation at the research data, covering the nature and range of out-of pocket expenses, and the financial and personal impact on employment and work performance.

This will be followed by an interactive session in which parents selected from the 103 families who took part in the research will speak on the economic/financial difficulties they experienced following the death of their child, including describing the personal stresses this placed on their families.

The symposium will conclude with a discussion of the recommendations put forward by the authors on improving financial and work-related support for families following the death of a child, and then be opened up to general discussion on practical strategies that (a) professional practitioners (b) other family members, (c) friends and (d) work colleagues might use in providing such financial and work-related support for bereaved families.