INQUEST selflessly does work that matters to us all; work that makes a difference to our community, changing it - for the better; it promotes human rights, protects and enhances our freedoms, it unflinchingly searches for the truth. – Dexter Dias QC, Garden Court Chambers
INQUEST’s work with families has found that after the death of a relative many families find it helpful to meet with other families going through shared experiences. Some want to find out more about the circumstances of their relative’s death and some want to campaign to make sure similar deaths are avoided in the future. Working for change can be anything from writing letters, going on a march, meeting your MP, to setting up a bigger group to bring national attention to your case and those like it.
Whether you want to be more involved after the death, or just want to improve some of the skills needed for the whole process of the inquest and its aftermath, (skills like giving evidence at the inquest, speaking in public, attending meetings or planning next steps and staying organised), this toolkit will help you think about what you want. It will show you how to develop the skills you already have, and give you some ideas about things that you might want to try for the first time, like media work, working with other bereaved families, or working with politicians and policy makers. All these skills can also be used in making day to day activities easier to handle.
After a sudden bereavement people can experience a range of emotions – loss, anger, guilt, hopelessness, sadness, fear and depression. These emotions are all natural, and affect some people more than others. The way we react to them is also personal and for some it’s easier to “get on with life” than others. By looking at the skills needed to improve things, help others or challenge law makers and politicians, we can also help ourselves to get involved with our local community, and importantly, following a bereavement, the day to day tasks that make up our routine.
