Finding light in the darkness

Luna’s vision is that every child or young person who experiences the death of a parent or primary caregiver by suicide receives timely support to mitigate the risks they face.

01  Our aim

We are on a mission to transform the way children and young people are supported after suicide bereavement, particularly after the death of a parent or primary caregiver. With timely support after parental suicide, we can mitigate the risks so these young people can form trusting relationships and live fulfilled lives.

02  Our values

We believe every child or young person who loses a parent to suicide deserves timely support to help them to navigate their complicated grief and, as a result, reduce the risks they face to their own mental health and wellbeing. Access to this care should not depend on their social, demographic or financial means, and each of us has a role in creating safe spaces where mental health and suicide bereavement can be talked about.

03  How we can help

We offer evidence-informed suicide bereavement training for people who work with children and young people to create a web of support if a parent or primary caregiver takes their own life. In addition to our campaigning work, we also share resources, best practice and guidance to help improve the way children left behind after suicide are cared for.

Luna Foundation CIC is a community interest company that operates as a social enterprise on a profit-for-purpose basis. Any surplus generated through our trading activities is reinvested into improving the support for children, young people and their families after suicide bereavement. Luna was set up in March 2022 to implement the findings from our founder and CEO Anna Wardley’s Churchill Fellowship report entitled Time to Count.

Read the report

The loss of a parent to suicide can leave a child in one of the darkest places imaginable. Our mission is to help them to find light in that darkness as they navigate the complicated grief associated with parental suicide, which can include feelings of guilt, anger, shame, relief and abandonment. We provide evidence-based suicide bereavement training for people working with children and young people to equip them with the information and confidence they need to provide support after parental suicide.

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About-Boxed-3-v2

Lived experience of parental suicide is in our organisational DNA. Our CEO, Anna Wardley, lost her dad to suicide when she was nine, and that experience led to her carrying out international research on the subject. She founded Luna to implement her key recommendations to transform the support for children left behind after suicide. In order to diversify the experiences influencing our work, we are forming the Luna Lived Experience Network of people who have lost a parent to suicide, which will inform and guide our work.

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Luna Foundation is proud to be a certified social enterprise and an accredited member of Social Enterprise UK, the leading global authority on social enterprise and the biggest network of this growing movement in the UK. We are fully behind the Social Value Act, a positive change which requires public bodies to consider the wider social, environmental and economic impact of the services they commission. Our social purpose is at the core of our mission, and it’s great to be part of a growing network of social enterprises working for lasting positive change both across the UK and around the globe.

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A very informative, educating, yet inspirational, workshop on such a sensitive topic.

Sarah S.

Taking away the stigma was a vital message to take away. And the need to be honest at an age appropriate level.

Maria D.

Inspiring, honest, helpful, informative.

Rhian J.

The overall presentation of this training was amazing. The interaction with others, the trainers and online access was very well executed.

Allison B.

An informative and useful session, raised some good points for further consideration in own practice and supporting other professionals to support children and young people.

Helen B.

I have come away with a much better understanding of suicide bereavement and have plenty of useful tips to use in my own practice and conversations with students.

Nicole E.

Sensitively delivered, thought-provoking training which provided some useful insights into how to support young people bereaved by suicide.

Natalie G.

I was worried at first attending as I have no experience with suicide bereavement but didn't need to be. The session was delivered well and easy to understand.

Sally A.

Excellent. Informative. A good balance in interaction and learning. Compassionate and warm. I felt very safe.

Gill B.

Fantastic workshop, really helpful and will definitely have practical uses going forward for myself and my team.

Jessica L.

The resources and information shared today were invaluable and really useful and it was practical and engaging.

Steph H.

It was very interactive, informative and interesting. I now feel more confident in supporting a student bereaved by suicide.

Philippa D.

There was a lot of important and useful information and I enjoyed the breakout rooms and discussing with other professionals.

Alex H.

This is a really insightful training session, packed full of useful tips and resources and useful language.

Wendy C.

Much needed, unique content on this subject matter of support to children who have lost a parent to suicide.

Serena S.

One of the most moving, informative, heartfelt and beneficial workshops I have ever attended.

Emma A.

The trainer made us all feel welcome and delivered a difficult subject matter with sensitivity.

Danny W.

Amazing training and very thought-provoking in terms of what I can implement within our team.

Imma E.

Our interactive online workshop prepares professionals to support children and young people after suicide bereavement

We share our expertise with organisations to help them support children and young people left behind after suicide

People with experience of parental suicide are at the heart of Luna, with our training delivered by those with lived experience.

‘At Luna we’re committed to shining a light on the needs of children after the death of a parent by suicide to ensure they get the care they need so that we can mitigate the risks they face.

‘Although they are not currently counted, we know that many thousands of children lose a parent to suicide each year in the UK and we’re dedicated to ensuring that each one of them receives timely support.

‘We don’t underestimate the magnitude of the mission that lies ahead but, with your support, we are confident that we can transform the way we care for children left behind after suicide to break the cycle of poor mental health they face.’

Anna Wardley
Founder & CEO

Proudly funded and supported by: