The Coroners' Courts
Support Service
Support | Trust | Openness | Integrity | Collaboration
Welcome to The Coroners’ Courts Support Service
The Coroners’ Courts Support Service (CCSS) is an independent voluntary organisation whose trained volunteers offer emotional support and practical help to bereaved families, witnesses and others attending an Inquest at a Coroner’s Court. We are a charity who do not receive central funding, and rely on grants and donations to be able to undertake our work.
Our vision is, and always has been, to set up the Service in all of the Coroners’ Courts within England and Wales to ensure bereaved families, witnesses and others have access to the Service wherever they attend an Inquest. This can be in person through our volunteers; or via our National Helpline.
Please contact 0300 111 2141 or info@ccsupport.org.uk to find out more or to receive information about our organisation or attending a Coroner’s Court.
How We Started
Listen to our Founder Trustee, Roey Burden, describing why she set up the CCSS in 2003 following her personal experience of attending an inquest with her cousin whose son, David, had tragically died in a road traffic collision abroad. As David’s body was brought back to this country an inquest had to be conducted.
Karen Bartram, a community matron, who lost her 16-day old son, William, in 2017, presented the BBC Radio 4 Appeal for The Coroners’ Courts Support Service. Karen shared her story and told us how she was supported by the CCSS volunteers. The appeal was broadcast at 07:54 and 21:25 on Sunday 31st January. It was repeated on Thursday 4th February at 15:27. You can listen to the appeal when ever you like by following the link below to the BBC Radio 4 Website.
Click here to listen to the appeal on BBC sounds
Karen Bartram, a community matron, who lost her 16-day old son, William, in 2017, presented the BBC Radio 4 Appeal for The Coroners’ Courts Support Service. Karen shared her story and told us how she was supported by the CCSS volunteers. The appeal was broadcast at 07:54 and 21:25 on Sunday 31st January. It was repeated on Thursday 4th February at 15:27. You can listen to the appeal when ever you like by following the link below to the BBC Radio 4 Website.
Click here to listen to the appeal on BBC sounds
Please note if you do wish to make a donation to us you must do it through our website and not the BBC page. If you use the BBC page your donation will go to a different charity.
We are so grateful to Karen for sharing her story as part of our appeal as well as author Tracey Waples who wrote the script and Journalist Jamie Bullen who assisted with our press release. We would also like to place on record our thanks to everyone at the BBC who helped make the appeal happen.
So far the appeal has raised the fantastic total amount of £30,870. Thank You so much to everyone who has donated and helped spread the word. The appeal has raised awareness of our work. We have been contacted by many bereaved family members and potential new volunteers. We have also had expressions of interest from Coronial areas that don’t currently have our service. All money raised through the appeal will go towards the running costs of the CCSS and our National Expansion Plan.
Our Mission
- To support practically and emotionally the family and other witnesses attending the Coroners’ Courts.
- To liaise with other parties appearing before the court to ensure their understanding of its role and the procedures, in order to facilitate its smooth and effective administration.
- To signpost families and witnesses to other agencies if so requested, for ongoing help with coming to terms with their bereavement.
Mailing address: Coroners’ Courts Support Service, c/o 2-6 Boundary Row, London, SE1 8HP
