FOOTPRINTS
The FOOTPRINTS Project is an Australian research initiative dedicated to supporting families who have experienced the sudden and unexpected death of a child. This project was created by paediatric intensive care (PICU) professionals—doctors, nurses, social workers and staff who care for critically ill children every day. In the PICU, we do everything we can to help children recover from serious illness or injury.
But when a child doesn’t survive, our care doesn’t end.
Through the FOOTPRINTS Project, we’re listening closely to families to better understand what they need to support their grief journey after leaving the PICU. We believe it is important to support families through their grief, offering compassionate bereavement care and follow-up after their time in hospital. Our goal is to design and test a dedicated bereavement service within the PICU—one that truly meets the emotional and practical needs of families after loss.
ABOUT GRIEF
Grief is a profound human experience describing the emotions and changes we endure in response to a loss. When the loss is the death of a loved one, bereavement refers to the period of grief after the death. Most bereaved family members would say that this time never ends, because grief does not diminish, rather life grows around the grief.
Grief looks and feels different for every person, and there is no rule book for how grief should be experienced.
Grief is often felt in complex and sometimes unexpected emotions which can change from moment to moment. Grief can also be experienced in a range of physical changes, such as fatigue, sleep disturbances, pain, digestive changes and illnesses.
For many bereaved people, grief will also be associated with life changes. Sometimes these relate to the way life has been altered without the loved one in it, and other times the experience of grief will affect the way each grieving person approaches life.
Many unexpected changes that come with grief can be natural and healthy ways to adapt and honour the person who has died.
THE DEATH OF A CHILD
The death of a child is one of the most heartbreaking and intense losses a person can experience. It turns the natural order of life upside down. Parents and grandparents expect to watch their child grow, learn and create a future full of promise. When that future is taken away, families grieve not only for their child, but also for the hopes, dreams and moments that will never be shared.
For some families a child’s illness or life-limiting condition - such as cancer or another chronic illness - may mean they know that their child’s life could be shorter. This time can bring deep sadness and worry, but it can also provide the chance to prepare, to talk, and to share precious moments together.
For others, a child’s death may come suddenly and unexpectedly - perhaps because of an illness, infection or accident. This kind of loss often leaves no time to prepare or to say goodbye, and the shock can feel overwhelming. Grief in these circumstances can be intense and isolating, and it may feel as though no one else could truly understand.
This website has been designed with the help of families who have lived through the death of a child and who want to hep others feel less alone. We hope that their stories, experiences and reflections bring you some comfort and understanding in your grief.
WHAT ABOUT MY GRIEF?
If you have experienced the death of your child, or the death of a child who is close to you, it is very natural to feel many emotions, sometimes all at once. Our FOOTPRINTS families have described their experience as ‘being broken,’ with life as they knew it shattered to pieces.
Picking up the pieces, living with the grief and getting through each day can be a challenge, particularly soon after the death. As well as feeling deep sadness, anger, regrets and other strong emotions, some grieving people find themselves feeling numb or unable to access their grief. You might even wonder
‘Is my grief normal?’
If you are worried about yourself or your grief you might find some of the supports we have listed on our Services page helpful.
