Rainbows Ireland programme

Rainbows provides group support programmes for children and young people affected by significant change and loss following a bereavement, separation or divorce. There are two categories of programmes: one for children who have experienced loss through parental separation and one for children who have been bereaved.

Rainbows programmes are school based or are available in such centres open to the public as Family Resource Centres and Youth & Community Centres and are tailored respectively to different age groups at Primary and Post Primary level. A typical programme runs once a week for 9 weeks.

Attending the programme provides children and young people with an opportunity to meet with others of a similar age and loss experience. Rainbows can:

• Support a child to engage with their own individual grief – to identify, name, understand, express and share their feelings
• Provide a safe setting to tell and retell feelings and thoughts with trained listeners
• Support children to have a shared experience and identification with others’ feelings… “I’m not the only one”
• Acknowledge and validate feelings and emotions
• Support a child’s self-esteem, trust, confidence and resilience
• Support emotional growth and a pathway to positive mental health
• Provide a model of coping and support

Eligibility: Children and young people, aged 7 – 16 years, who have experienced change and loss through parental separation or bereavement. A minimum period of 3 months needs to have elapsed since the event of separation or loss.

Referral: Direct referral by parent/guardian to a Rainbows registered programme center. Contact details of schools and public registered Rainbows programme centers are available on the Rainbows website – listed by county at www.rainbowsireland.ie. Please note that  unless otherwise indicated on the website, schools programme centers are available only to their own school population .