RCM/Sands conference: Holding families through loss

8 October 2026, 9.00AM - 4.30PM

Address: voco Belfast, The Gasworks, 3 Cromac Pl, Belfast BT7 2JB

If you have queries about an event please email events@rcm.org.uk 

Overview

A shared approach to bereavement care

Join us at our joint RCM/Sands conference as we explore the journey of baby bereavement, the experiences and needs of parents along the way, and the compassionate care provided by maternity and wider healthcare teams. Open to all HSC staff who work in bereavement care.

 

Conference fees includes 2 course lunch and refreshments

  • Bursary students Ā£10
  • MSWs – Ā£25
  • Delegate early bird -before 3rd August 2026 – Ā£30
  • General admission – Ā£35

 

Programme

Time Session
09.00-09.15 Registration, tea and coffee
09.15-09.25 Welcome, Clea Harmer, CEO Sands
09.25-09.35 Holding Families Through Loss: A Shared Commitment to Bereavement Care
09.35 – 10.15 From Personal Grief to Public Change: Turning loss into action
10.15 – 11.15 Bereavement care in 2027: policy, practice and political priorities
11.15-11.30 Tea/coffee/exhibition
11.30 -12.00 Supporting others starts with you: psychological safety in the workplace
12.00-13.00 Practical sessions

1.Ā Ā Ā Ā  Memory Making in Theory

2.Ā Ā Ā Ā  Practice Communicating in Difficult Circumstances

13.00-14.00 Lunch/Exhibition
14.00-15.00 Practical sessions repeated

1.Ā Ā Ā Ā  Memory Making in Theory

2.Ā Ā Ā Ā  Practice Communicating in Difficult Circumstances

15.00- 15.45 Bereavement care in TFMR cases
15.45 – 16.15 From pathway to practice: A Shared Vision, A Sustainable Future
16.20-16.30 Close, Gill Walton, CEO & Chief Midwife, The Royal College of Midwives

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