Talking about Coronavirus

It’s important to talk to the group about what’s happened clearly and openly, but also to provide some reassurance that we’ll get through this together, and that while things will be different, this sort of thing doesn’t happen very often.

You might not be sure about how to speak about what’s happened. Here are some examples to support you:

Beavers and Cubs

‘As you know, everyone had to stay at home earlier in the year to stop the spread of something called Coronavirus. This virus caused many people to become unwell and some of those people to die, but many more recovered than died and are living happily and healthily today.

Lots of things have changed over the past few months and this can make us feel very worried and uncomfortable. If you’re feeling this way please remember that you can ask us any questions and we’ll do our best to answer and support. You can also speak to your parents/carers or teachers or have a look at these websites: (Share links on the right hand side of this page)

It’s also really important to remember that even during Coronavirus, lots of things still went well. We had lots of fun doing… (Insert what your group did, virtual meetings, camps etc.).

This isn’t something that any of us has experienced before and it isn’t something that normally happens. It looks like we may still have a little way to go before everything is back to the way it was before, but it’s really positive that we can now come back to Beavers/Cubs and we’re going to continue to run as best we can.

If anything changes and we need to pause Beavers/Cubs again for any reason, we’ll let you know as soon as we can.’

Scouts and Explorers

‘As you know, everyone had to stay at home earlier in the year to stop the spread of Coronavirus. Lots of things have changed over the past few months and some of you may have had lots of things in your life disrupted by what’s happened. If you’re feeling upset or anxious about any of these things, please remember that you can talk to us and we’ll try our best to answer. You can also speak to your parents/carers or teachers or have a look at these websites: (Share links on the right hand side of this page).

It’s also really important to remember that even during Coronavirus, lots of things still went well. We had lots of fun doing… (Insert what your group did, virtual meetings, camps etc.).

This isn’t something that any of us has experienced before and it’s not something that normally happens. It looks like we may still have a little way to go before everything is back to the way it was before, but it’s really positive that we can now come back to Scouts/Explorers and we’re going to continue as best we can.

If anything changes and we need to pause Scouts/Explorers again for any reason, we’ll let you all know as soon as we can.’

It’s important to communicate clearly with parents/carers before the first week back to let them know what you’ll be covering (coronavirus, mental wellbeing and possibly bereavement). You should make sure you let people know in advance so that they can feedback any questions and concerns before the meeting. Here’s an example of how to communicate your plans to parents/carers:

‘This week we’ll be returning to Scouts at the normal time of …. We know that the past few months have been difficult for everyone and that we’ve all faced many challenges. That’s why at the first meeting back, we’re going to be discussing what’s happened, reassuring our young people that this is not a ‘normal’ event and providing them with links for further support if they need it.

If your family has had a bereavement during the time we haven’t been meeting, please let us know so we can work with you and your young person to make sure you’re fully supported and the group knows how best to help.’

Don’t talk about it unless the person wants to. Bereavement is a highly personal and individual experience. There’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach to supporting someone who has been bereaved and so communicating with the person directly is exceptionally important. How to help someone who is going through a personal bereavement:

1. Listen if they want to talk to you about it – You won’t be able to solve their grief but it’s important to be there and be ready to listen.
2. Share any memories you have of the person – If you knew the person.
3. Accept they might not want to open up – If someone doesn’t want to open up about their loss, don’t force them to. You could make it worse.

Someone who has faced a personal bereavement may not want the group to mark this or even talk about what has happened. For them, Scouts may be the only time their life has a sense of ‘normality’. Other people will want to explore what has happened with the group and mark it with their friends.

It’s essential to work with the person who has been bereaved to find out their preferences. Work with them before the first meeting back to decide if they want to talk about what’s happened or mark what’s happened with the group. If they’d like to mark what’s happened, you should work with the individual and their family/carers to decide on the most appropriate activity or way to do this.

If someone has faced a personal bereavement, make sure they know who they can speak to if they’re struggling and share the ‘Where to get further help and support’ contacts with them and their family/carers.

If someone in your group has died, we’ve put together two resources to help support you and your young people:

• Support for if an adult volunteer dies
• Support for if a young person dies