Children suffering the death of a parent are matched with Service Navigators to guide them through grief support
Salt Lake City, UT–Today, Utah leaders announced that caregivers of bereaved children will, for the first time, be notified of resources and have the opportunity for individualized support from a 211 Utah Service Navigator. For the first time, surviving children of a deceased parent or primary caregiver will be directly connected with grief support and other resources, including access to thousands of dollars in Social Security survivor benefits often left uncollected by unknowing families.
The program is spearheaded by the Children’s Collaborative for Healing and Support, in collaboration with the New York Life Foundation, which launched with the help of Utah Governor Spencer Cox. The program identifies and supports the 52,000 Utah children who will lose a parent or caregiver. These children often face a number of long-term negative impacts that come from losing a parent including financial hardship, trouble concentrating in school, depression, and learning to navigate grief. Now they will receive a roadmap for support.
“I’m proud that here in Utah, we’re building pathways of support for children who suddenly lose a parent. The first step is knowing who they are. Thanks to this important effort, we can now identify these kids so their caregivers can be connected with 211 Utah Service Navigators—helping them access the support and resources they need during such a difficult time,” said Governor Spencer Cox.
The notification is made through an optional checkbox on Utah death certificates, implemented by Gov. Cox, that identifies whether the deceased individual leaves behind surviving children. Tracy Gruber is the executive director of Utah’s Department of Health and Human Services, which manages death certificates. Director Gruber says that since checkbox implementation on July 1, 2023, 1,599 deceased individuals are known to have surviving children under 18 years old.
Based on that data, families will soon be contacted by 211 Utah Service Navigators, after letters are mailed by Utah DHHS to protect personal privacy. The letters inform caregivers that help is available and connect families with Service Navigators. Service Navigator support is made possible by $400,000 in state funds and cross-agency coordination.
“211 Service Navigators help people navigate complex systems by providing information, support, and one-on-one assistance to access services that align with their needs,” said Amy Ahrens-Terpstra, United Way of Salt Lake, Chief Impact Officer. “We are committed to working collaboratively to create a seamless support system for children grieving the loss of a caregiver.”
Also part of the Children’s Collaborative for Healing and Support work in Utah, Granite School District identified bereaved children on their 2024 back to school forms. 211 Utah began contacting those families this year. Children’s Collaborative CEO and Co-founder Catherine Jaynes says work has already begun to branch out to other Utah school districts.
“Getting the current and future data of surviving children on death certificates is a big step towards helping these kids and giving them the best opportunity for success in life. Our initiative also seeks to identify and support bereaved children when the death occurred at earlier stages of their lives and for those who recently moved to Utah,” said Jaynes. “All children navigating the tremendous hardships of parental loss should access Social Security survivor benefits and mental and emotional support.”
Jaynes says that according to the Social Security Administration, a child enrolled in survivor benefits receives about $1,100 per month. Far too often, that money is left on the table.
Today, systems are in place in Utah to receive voluntary information identifying bereaved children and connecting them and their caregivers to support. Jaynes says several actions led to this milestone:
Governor Cox issued an executive order in 2023, creating a volunteer checkbox on death certificates indicating whether the deceased individual leaves behind children.
Governor Cox requested and received legislative approval for $400,000 in one-time allocation to the Utah DHHS for bereaved youth resources and the 211 Utah Service Navigator program.
Granite School District (GSD) added a field on back to school forms for caregivers to indicate whether the student suffered the loss of a parent or caregiver, resulting in over 500 children identified as of February 2025.
The Children’s Collaborative for Healing and Support was first initiated from an earlier effort, the Covid Collaborative. Led by John Bridgeland, the Covid Collaborative targeted support for those who lost a parent or caregiver due the pandemic. Children’s Collaborative branches off from that work to include all children nationwide facing parental or caregiver loss, regardless of the cause of death.
“Utah is an example to the nation of what can be done to support children suffering unbelievable loss. The data show avoidable adverse outcomes for bereaved children including poverty, poor performance in school, drug and alcohol abuse. I’m grateful Utah is paving the way to intervene and stop long-term negative outcomes, helping children and families cope and grow from tragic loss,” said John Bridgeland, CEO and Co-founder of the Covid Collaborative, Co-Founder of the Children’s Collaborative and former Director of the Domestic Policy Council of the United States.
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About Children’s Collaborative for Healing and Support
The Children’s Collaborative is an initiative that started in 2021 to honor the stories of children that have lost a caregiver to COVID-19, and provide resources to help them and their families as they rebuild and look to the future. Today, the collaborative works to support all families that have experienced the loss of a parent or caregiver. We’re bringing together community organizations, grief groups, government resources, and more to surround these families with a comprehensive network of support. By strengthening the system to support these children and families, we will be helping all children and families who have experienced loss.
About 211 Utah
211 Utah is the state’s leading resource network connecting Utahns in need with local resources. Supported by United Ways of Utah (United Way of Salt Lake, United Way of Central and Southern Utah, and United Way of Northern Utah), this vital service is free, confidential, and available in multiple languages. We provide service navigation to help people navigate complex systems by providing information, support, and one-on-one assistance to access services that align with their needs. 211 Utah is available by phone, online, chat, text, app, and email. For more information, visit 211utah.org.