Perinatal Bereavement Coordinator - IMFH - Fetal Care Center

Within the Institute for Maternal Fetal Health (IMFH), the Nemours Fetal Care Center (NFCC) and Advanced Delivery Unit are expanding the scope of service to include comprehensive prenatal, obstetrical and postpartum care for women whose unborn child has been diagnosed with a birth defect or complex medical condition that will require immediate multidisciplinary pediatric care in the neonatal period. In addition to currently available prenatal imaging to diagnose these conditions, IMFH is also expanding to offer invasive diagnostics and fetal intervention procedures from minimally invasive ultrasound guided procedures to open maternal-fetal surgeries.

Care counseling in this setting also includes complex care consultation/planning, including but not limited to the option of perinatal palliative care in cases of life-limiting fetal/neonatal conditions. The IMFH Psychosocial Support Program is being built to support mental health and wellness in expectant parents and families where there is significant risk of trauma, mood disorders and challenges in coping with ongoing stress in the setting of a fetal diagnosis.

The IMFH Perinatal Bereavement Coordinator is a key member of the Psychosocial Support Program within the Nemours Institute for Maternal Fetal Health (IMFH). Serving in both the outpatient Fetal Care Center (FCC) and inpatient Advanced Delivery Unit (ADU), this role is primarily responsible for supporting the development, implementation, coordination, and ongoing enhancement of perinatal bereavement services for families experiencing or anticipating perinatal loss.

Working in collaboration with program leadership and interdisciplinary care teams, this role provides advanced support to bereaved families and helps ensure the delivery of compassionate, family-centered care. Responsibilities include providing emotional support, coordinating memory-making activities, maintaining bereavement resources, developing and maintaining community partnerships, and contributing to initiatives that strengthen and expand bereavement services within IMFH. Additionally, this position supports staff caring for bereaved families through peer-to-peer education and staff support services as appropriate.

Furthermore, this role serves as a Certified Child Life Specialist for siblings and other children visiting the Fetal Care Center (FCC) and Advanced Delivery Unit (ADU). This role provides developmentally appropriate assessment, education, and coping support to help children understand and adapt to complex fetal diagnoses, parental and sibling hospitalization, perinatal loss, and changes within the family system. In accordance with the Child Life Competencies established by the Association of Child Life Professionals (ACLP), the role delivers evidence-based interventions that promote healthy coping and family adjustment, while collaborating with the interdisciplinary team to support family-centered care.

Additional responsibilities include supporting perinatal bereavement and/or child life education through precepting experiences and supervision of volunteers and learners, etc. as appropriate.