A NEW online resource for supporting people dealing with grief and bereavement has been set up.
According to the Northern Ireland Social Care Council every death in Northern Ireland affects at least four people.
Statistics from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) show that 16,241 deaths have occurred in the north this year, with 1,438 excess deaths recorded.
The new grief and bereavement resource is targeted at social care workers who support and care for people affected by grief and work in settings where people may die.
The resource will support more than 36,000 social care workers and managers to understand grief and how people respond to it, as well as the needs of dying and bereaved people and how to support them.
Chief Social Worker Sean Holland, said the new resource will "support our workforce on the front line of end-of-life care both as they look after patients and their families, and also take care of their own wellbeing during this time".
Rosena Robinson, a care worker for the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust, said she was "honoured" to contribute to the new resource.
"I hope that it provides those working in social care the information they need to be that comforting presence for patients and families, and themselves during an incredibly difficult time professionally," she said.
