Communicating with families when children have a life limiting condition and complex needs

Code

W11

Aim

To provide an overview of the families' difficulties from the point of diagnosis and to examine ways to reduce overlapping of provision within services to minimise pressures on the family

Supporting 'Better Care: Better Lives, improving outcomes and experiences for children, young people and their families living with life limiting and life threatening conditions' DH 2008

Learning outcomes

to gain a deeper understanding of families' needs
to identify general family pressures, enabling professionals to facilitate focused support services
to gain an understanding of parents' responses to loss and grief before and after their child's death
to explore and develop our self-awareness and support for ourselves
to identify the role of a 'key worker' in view of National Service Framework recommendations
to become familiar with useful tools to aid communication between service providers and families
to gain information about the Child Bereavement Charity, other similar support organisations and resources available

Who should attend?

Suitable for professionals based in the community or in a hospital setting

"The facilitator's sharing of the family DVD was exceptionally brave and very helpful in developing my understanding of families' needs" (participant Feb 2010)