A new website, which provides essential information to professionals who are supporting children and young people who have lost a loved one, has been launched.

Research carried out by the Economic and Social Research Institute last year revealed that 28% of Irish nine-year-olds have lost a grandparent and over 2% have lost a parent.

The new site, childhoodbereavement.ie, has been launched by the Irish Childhood Bereavement Network (ICBN). Phase one is focusing on providing information to professionals. However phase two will focus on providing appropriate information to children, young people and families.

A study commissioned last year by the Irish Hospice Foundation found that Government policy did not put enough emphasis on the provision of children's bereavement support.

The ICBN was launched in July 2012 to provide information to those working with bereaved children and their families.

"The aim is to ensure that all Irish children have access to a choice of high quality local and national information, guidance and support to enable them to manage the impact of the death and loss of their loved one," the network said.

According to chairperson of the ICBN's advisory panel, Brid Carroll, the website is a ‘work in process'.

‘The initial focus is the provision of information for professionals who work with bereaved children in their daily lives. It features a wide range of tried and tested tools to enhance their work and broaden their knowledge of the resources that are available.

"We hope that over time, the development of a directory of services and family resources can transform the experience of death and bereavement for all children in Ireland," she explained.

The site can be viewed here