A GROUNDBREAKING conference on supporting children through bereavement is being held in Gwent this week .

St David’s Hospice Care, which is increasingly being called on to offer care and support for bereaved children and young people through its Unicorn Service, is staging the conference.

The Unicorn Conference: Bereavement and Beyond is being held at the Parkway Hotel, Cwmbran, on Wednesday, March 22 and will explore the key themes around supporting children and young people through family bereavement.

St David’s Hospice Care Chief Executive Emma Saysell said: “This is the first conference we’ve held on this sensitive and very important subject of child bereavement.

“We have some 120 delegates attending who are coming from throughout the area from diverse backgrounds.

“Bereavement is becoming more widely recognised as a key issue with potentially significant and life changing impacts on children and young people.”

Among subjects covered in the conference, there will be grief and loss, a death in the family and how it can impact on the children.

It is anticipated that this conference will be followed by a series of similar events over the coming months staged by the Gwent charity.