Nursery World - Nursery Management: Emotional Well-Being

What should a manager do when a child who attends the setting dies? asks Jackie Musgrave

Dealing with the death of a child – even when this has not taken place in the setting – is a huge emotional challenge for a manager. In the case of Jacky Avins, the manager at Little Growbags Nursery, getting a call saying a four-year-old girl who attended her setting had died was an overwhelming experience. Following the call, she took a ‘few deep breaths’ and, mustering some ‘strict self-control’, walked back into the setting from the office. ‘I recall it took all my strength and all my experience to date,’ she said. ‘I spoke to the staff two at a time, until I had spoken to them all; our students included. I can’t really remember what I said but there were lots of hugs and tears.I also quickly reminded them about confidentiality issues, but said I felt they needed to be able to talk to their families, providing they asked [them] not to discuss it with anyone else. We agreed a ground rule that if they got overwhelmed, the office was the safe place to go for a few minutes while they composed themselves.’ The child had died from an undiagnosed health condition, away from the nursery.

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