Now Available
Detect & Diagnose: A New Minecraft Education Game for Children
We are proud to launch Detect & Diagnose, a brand-new game developed in Minecraft Education by the Ruth Strauss Foundation, created especially for children aged 8–11.
This unique resource is designed to raise awareness about parental cancer and create a safe, open environment where children can talk about illness, grief and bereavement.
Why Detect & Diagnose Matters
Every day in the UK, 127 children experience the death of a parent (Childhood Bereavement Network, 2022). In total, more than 46,000 children are bereaved of a parent every year. Many of these deaths are expected, leading to anticipatory grief, which can significantly affect a child’s emotional wellbeing.
These figures show why grief education and grief literacy are vital. Children need safe, age-appropriate ways to understand illness, death and bereavement. Detect & Diagnose uses the familiar and creative world of Minecraft to help children explore these difficult topics in a supportive, interactive space.
Developed With Expert Guidance
The game and lesson resources have been created with input from leading researchers in child bereavement, including Dr Olly Clabburn and Dr Rachel Fearley, with medical expertise from Dr Jonathan Ferguson (Cardiothoracic Surgeon, University Hospital Tees). Alongside them, a wide network of cancer healthcare professionals have guided the game’s content to ensure accuracy, sensitivity and relevance.
What Children Will Learn
By the end of the game, children will have developed a deeper understanding of cancer and how it is diagnosed. Topics include:
- What cancer is – exploring the biological aspects of cancer, where it happens in the body, and the different types.
- How cancer is diagnosed – gaining insight into hospital departments, the roles of healthcare staff, the types of diagnostic tests, and the processes involved in reaching a diagnosis.
By combining the creativity of Minecraft with expert medical and psychological knowledge, Detect & Diagnose provides a safe, interactive space for children to learn, ask questions and better understand what cancer means for families.
Supporting Children Through Cancer and Bereavement
At the Ruth Strauss Foundation, we believe that supporting children through parental cancer and bereavement is crucial. By using interactive and accessible resources like Detect & Diagnose, we can empower children to understand illness in a safe and age-appropriate way.
If you would like to learn more about our work in child bereavement support, or to get involved with the Ruth Strauss Foundation’s grief education programmes, please explore our website
or contact us directly.
