At the National Alliance for Children’s Grief, we are pleased to share the results of our first Childhood Bereavement Professional Survey, an effort to listen to and learn directly from professionals working across the childhood bereavement field.
The survey was administered online from September 30 through October 20, 2025, and promoted through NACG communications and professional networks. Responses from 424 professionals representing diverse roles, organizations, communities, and practice settings were analyzed to better understand the current state of the field, identify emerging challenges and opportunities, and inform NACG’s priorities and work.
The findings offer an important snapshot of a field deeply committed to supporting children and families, while also navigating growing demand and significant resource and capacity challenges.
Highlights include:
- Professional connection matters. Respondents reinforced the importance of opportunities to learn from one another, build relationships, and grow professionally within the childhood bereavement community.
- Demand for support is growing. Organizations across the country report increasing demand for childhood bereavement services, with many facing challenges in meeting the needs of children and families in their communities.
- Capacity remains a significant challenge. Funding, public awareness, staffing, and organizational capacity continue to affect providers’ ability to expand, sustain, and strengthen services.
- Professionals want practical, field-building resources. Respondents identified opportunities for resources and professional development that strengthen individual practice and organizational capacity while supporting consistent, high-quality care.
- There are important opportunities to strengthen the field. Innovation, crisis response, peer connection, leadership development, and continuing education emerged as areas where additional investment and collaboration could have meaningful impact.
A central part of NACG’s role is to strengthen and support the childhood bereavement workforce. To do that well, we need to listen to the people doing this work every day. What you shared through this survey gives us a clearer understanding of the strengths of the field, the challenges professionals and organizations are navigating, and the opportunities before us.
These findings are already informing NACG’s priorities and work for the year ahead. They also help us build a stronger national picture of childhood bereavement: who is being served, what communities need, where gaps persist, and where greater investment, collaboration, and attention can make a difference.
We hope this report will be useful beyond NACG. By sharing what we heard, we hope to provide professionals, organizations, partners, funders, and other stakeholders with information that can strengthen their own work and help us collectively make the case for greater investment in the people and organizations supporting children and families who are grieving.
You can explore the full report below to learn more about the findings and how your feedback is meaningfully shaping NACG’s priorities and work.
Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and perspectives through this survey, and for the work you do every day on behalf of children and families who are grieving. This survey is the beginning of an ongoing effort to listen to and learn from the field. We will repeat it in Fall 2026 and share the next findings in early 2027, allowing us to track changes over time and better understand the evolving needs of the childhood bereavement community.
Deirdra Flavin, CFRE
Chief Executive Officer
National Alliance for Children’s Grief
Who We Heard From
The 424 professionals who responded to the 2025 Childhood Bereavement Professional Survey represent the breadth and experience of the childhood bereavement field. Nearly two-thirds (62%) have worked in childhood bereavement for six or more years, with 41% bringing more than a decade of experience. Respondents work across a wide range of settings, including dedicated grief centers (45%), community-based nonprofits and youth-serving organizations (43%), schools (23%), camps (23%), hospices (17%), private practice (16%), and healthcare systems (13%), reflecting the many places where children and families receive grief support.*
Together, these voices provide an important snapshot of the opportunities, challenges, and priorities shaping childhood bereavement support today. While every community is unique, one message was clear: professionals remain deeply committed to ensuring children and families who are grieving receive compassionate, high-quality support.
*Respondents could select all settings that applied.
What We Learned
Professionals Value Connection:
The survey reaffirmed the important role that professional connections play within the childhood bereavement community.
- 92% of members said they would recommend the NACG to a colleague.
- 76% said the NACG has helped them improve professionally.
- Members actively engage with opportunities to connect and learn, with 79% using webinars and continuing education resources, 68% using event discounts, and 54% participating in discussion hubs or networking calls.
Representation Matters
Survey participants reminded us that a strong professional community is one in which people see their work, perspectives, and experiences reflected. 76% of respondents said they see their professional role represented within the NACG, while 72% said they feel valued as members. These findings reinforce the importance of building a community where professionals across all roles and practice settings feel they belong.
As childhood bereavement services continue to expand into schools, community organizations, healthcare settings, camps, funeral service, and many other environments, the NACG remains committed to ensuring that professionals across the full spectrum of practice see themselves reflected in our education, resources, leadership, and community.
The Field Continues to Grow, But So Do the Challenges
Organizations across the country reported growing demand for childhood bereavement services while facing significant barriers to meeting the needs of children and families who are grieving. Three out of four organizations (75%) reported increasing demand for services, yet 41% said they cannot fully meet that demand. At the same time, 53% identified limited funding as a major challenge, 41% cited limited public awareness of childhood bereavement, and 35% reported staffing shortages or limited organizational capacity. Nearly half of responding organizations have five or fewer staff, underscoring the limited capacity of many providers.
These findings demonstrate that funding, public awareness, and workforce capacity are closely connected. When childhood bereavement is not widely understood, organizations face greater challenges securing the resources needed to grow, recruit staff, and meet the increasing demand for services. Strengthening the field requires investment in organizations and professionals, greater public awareness of children’s grief, and continued collaboration to build capacity so that more children and families can access support.
Professionals Want Practical Support
Across professional roles and career stages, respondents consistently identified practical, field-building resources as priorities for the future. The most requested initiatives were a resource-sharing platform (82%), updated Standards of Practice (78%), adaptable co-brandable resources (78%), and advanced professional development pathways (78%). Additional priorities included support for innovation, crisis response training, peer connection, leadership development, and continuing education.
These findings highlight a clear desire for practical tools that strengthen organizations, support professional growth, and advance consistent, high-quality care across the childhood bereavement field.
These priorities directly informed the NACG’s 2026-2029 Strategic Plan and continue to guide our work. Here’s how your feedback is shaping the future of the NACG.
How Your Feedback Is Shaping The NACG
Strengthening Practice
You told us: Practical, adaptable resources and ongoing education are essential to supporting professionals in their day-to-day work.
How we’re responding: We are expanding educational opportunities, developing practical tools and resources, and creating guidance that strengthens practice across the childhood bereavement field.
Advancing the Field
You told us: The field needs standards that strengthen quality practice and support consistency across organizations and settings.
How we’re responding: We are advancing the NACG Standards of Practice initiative while expanding professional development and fostering collaboration that supports high-quality childhood bereavement care.
Building Community
You told us: Connecting with colleagues and learning from professionals across different disciplines, settings, and lived experiences strengthens both individual practice and the field as a whole.
How we’re responding: We are creating more opportunities for professionals to connect, share expertise, learn from one another, and help shape the future of childhood bereavement support together.
Raising Awareness
You told us: Demand for childhood bereavement services continues to grow, but public understanding of children’s grief has not kept pace.
How we’re responding: We are continuing national efforts to raise awareness of childhood bereavement, advocate for children and families who are grieving, and increase understanding of the importance of accessible grief support.
Join Us in the Work
The insights shared through this survey will help guide the NACG’s work, but they are only the beginning. The next chapter for our field will be built through ongoing collaboration and extensive opportunities for engagement. As we develop new resources, strengthen standards, expand professional development, and advance national awareness, we are committed to doing so alongside the professionals and organizations that make this work possible.
If you are already a member, watch for upcoming opportunities to share your expertise, provide feedback, and help shape the work ahead. If you are not yet a member, consider joining the NACG and becoming part of a community dedicated to advancing the field. Together, we can shape the ideas, initiatives, and innovations that will strengthen support for children and families who are grieving for years to come. Together, we can build a stronger, more connected field and work toward our shared vision that no child has to grieve alone.
About the Survey: The 2025 Childhood Bereavement Professional Survey was administered as an online survey from September 30 through October 20, 2025. The survey was open to professionals working in childhood bereavement and was promoted through NACG communications and professional networks. Responses from 424 professionals representing diverse roles, organizations, and practice settings were analyzed to better understand the current state of the field, identify emerging challenges, and inform future priorities for the NACG.