Handling bereavement in Danish schools – A system at a crossroad?

Abstract

The bereavement response system used in Danish schools has developed differently from those in other European nations. At its heart lies the bereavement response plan, which 96% of all schools today use on a voluntary basis. Through a timeline interview with one participant and a focus group interview with three participants, this study explores how the Danish system has been influenced by the teachers using it in a particular school context. Interviews identify that in-school revisions of the bereavement response plan seem to occur isolated from advances made within academia. The article concludes that the current system has begun to transform into something different than was originally intended. While it is difficult to conclude whether such a change is for the better or worse, it remains problematic that no organisation seems to be in control of the current direction the system is taking.

Keywords:

• Bereavement response
• Death of a parent
• Social support
• School responses

Notes

¹ Bereavement response plan is a translation of the Danish word: Sorgplan.

² The most common names are listed here and translated into English in the following parentheses: “Sorgplan” ( Bereavement Response Plan,), “OmSorgsplan” (Grief Care Plan) and “Sorg og Kriseplan” (Grief and Crisis Plan)

³ The model has since then been revised five times. The latest version was published in 2006 (Cullberg, 2006). While the book has been updated the assumptions behind the theory have not changed significantly during the revisions.

⁴ In Denmark both primary and secondary education are provided by the folkeskole. Year's 1-9 are compulsory with an optional year 0 and year 10. Children usually start at the age of 6-7 and leave at the age of 16.

⁵ While the teacher did not remember if this model was by Cullberg (1980), the model seems to fit her description.