Live ChatSupport groups for bereaved families
SSAFA offers two support groups for bereaved Armed Forces families, providing events which facilitate peer support, a safe space to grieve for lost loved ones, and an opportunity for respite.
Being in a group, able to express my feelings and hear others' experiences was like a release.
- Support Group Participant
Who are the SSAFA Support Groups for?
SSAFA support groups are for bereaved military families (18+) who have experienced the loss of a serving personnel or veteran.
What can SSAFA do to help me and my family cope with losing a loved one?
SSAFA's support groups connect you to a network of people who have been through a similar bereavement, giving you the opportunity to talk though your emotions and experiences with an understanding compassionate group.
Each support group runs one or two day events throughout the year, where beneficiaries can meet up together and receive peer-to-peer support, facilitated in a safe environment.
Please note, SSAFA support groups facilitate conversation and connection, but do not provide therapeutic support.
Bereaved Support Group
This group is for anyone in the family unit (18+) who has suffered a bereavement of a serving member of the Armed Forces or a veteran, through combat and non-combat incidents.
Military Families Affected by Suicide
For anyone in the family unit (18+) who have been affected by the loss of a loved one through suicide of a serving member of the Armed Forces or a veteran.
Remembrance
SSAFA works closely with the Defence Bereaved Families Group to support opportunities for bereaved military families to reflect and remember their loved ones, including Remembrance Weekend in London and ‘A Time to Reflect’ at the National Memorial Arboretum.
How do I join a SSAFA Support Group?
You can become a member of one of these groups by completing our membership form:
SSAFA and Tragedy Assistance Programme for Survivors (TAPS) Partnership
TAPS is an American organisation which was founded in 1994 and works to provide comfort and hope through a national peer support network and connection of grief resources. They recognise the strength gained when grief is focused on giving meaning and purpose to their fallen hero’s life and service.
SSAFA has been working closely with the TAPS Sports & Entertainment Team; since 2020, we have been given the opportunity to join them on their NFL UK Experience event. Members of SSAFA’s Support Groups for Bereaved Families and TAPS families have visited London, enjoyed site seeing and watching an NFL game together. The aim of these events is to bring joy to surviving military families and to honour the lives of their fallen heroes.
We hope to continue to build on these events and our partnership with TAPS, with the aim of ensuring our members of our Support Groups for Bereaved Families are given the opportunity to honour their loved one.
Please note that SSAFA's services are only available to people who have received at least one day's pay from the Armed Forces (British Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Marines, including Reserves), or are in the immediate family of someone who served.
