FOLLOWING the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, we have seen an outpouring of grief.

Her Majesty was NSPCC President between 1943 and 1952, and our Royal patron for more than 60 years, from 1953 until 2016. During that time, she supported the charity in numerous ways including attending out centenary thanksgiving service in 1984, visiting one of our national training centres in 1989, and hosting a reception at St James Palace in 2007.

Our deepest sympathies, at the NSPCC, go out to the Royal Family including our current patron the Countess of Wessex.

But while we remember Her Majesty for her work with the charity, we are also aware of how the nation’s mourning may be affecting children and young people. Children who have lost a loved one, however recently, may find themselves struggling with anxiety or sadness at this time, as they experience familiar but difficult emotions while the media and internet talks of little aside from a nation’s mourning.

Losing a loved one is heart breaking no matter how old you are, but children and young people can find it much harder to process feelings of grief and loss. Some wonder if what they’re feeling is right or wrong, and some may not understand the complex emotions they’re experiencing.

During this time of national mourning many children will be feeling anxious, so we have created a new message board on our Childline website giving them the opportunity to post their thoughts and feelings and speak to their peers about what’s going on. We also have advice for adults on how to support young people’s mental health, and we’re offering further support for children struggling with anxiety by calling 0800 1111 or visiting childline.org.uk.

Parents can support their children by reminding them it’s okay to feel however they feel, and that speaking to a trusted adult, a teacher, a friend or one of our counsellors about their feelings can really help. Our counsellors are trained to reassure young people if they’re nervous. The Childline website also has an online Art Box tool for children who are not ready to speak to someone, where they can write a letter or draw something to encapsulate their feelings, then either keep or destroy it to let go of their emotions.

If you’re a parent or carer of a child who has lost someone, let them know you’re there for them. If they’d rather speak to Childline, we’re here too. To find out more about supporting young people through grief or anxiety call our NSPCC Helpline on 0808 8005000 or email help@nspcc.org.uk for guidance and support.