Palliative and End of Life Care in Childhood and in Transition to Adulthood

This is an exciting new online module that can be taken on either a stand alone basis or as part of an MSc or PGCert in Palliative Care and End of Life Studies. The course is hosted by the University of Nottingham.  

This module utilises a student centred approach to extend students’ understanding and application of palliative care for children and young people exploring social policy and service delivery within both a national and international context. The physical and psychosocial issues faced by children, young people and their families requiring palliative care are examined in depth. Particular attention is placed on the concept of ‘transition’ as individuals move across service boundaries from children’s to adult services. The team at Nottingham are working with ACT in the development and delivery of this module to ensure the timeliness and relevance to the learning needs of the palliative care community serving children and young people.

For further details please visit http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/nursing/sueryder/msc-pels.php or contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

 
Children and Young People with Disabilities and Special Needs: Ideas into Action - Interconnections UK Conference

10th September, Regent's College Conference Centre, Regents Park, London, NW1 4NS. 9.15am - 4.15pm. This one day national conference will include presentations such as 'Making sense of complex service provision: Can we replace the 'scatter-gun' response to infants who have multiple needs with a more helpful and cost-effective approach?', and 'When a child dies'.

Speakers include Jenni Thomas, OBE, the Founder and President of the Child Bereavement Charity, and Jane Fraser, Trainer and Consultant in SRE for young adults with learning disabilities and founder of Bodysense to create innovative teaching resources.

Cost: for one place £135 + VAT. To find out the cost for more than one place and to obtain an order form e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Do You Want to Know More about End of Life Care? - Public Education Events from St Christopher's Hospice

10th September (also 9th December and 27th January 09). St Christopher's Hospice, 51-59 Lawrie Park Road, Sydenham, SE26 6DZ. St Christopher's Hospice is holding a series of education events for anyone who would like to find out more about: Living with illness and loss, help available, family support, palliative care and bereavement. The day will also cover financial help (on each date a different specific topic will be covered).

The event is free and there is no need to book. For more information e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   or Tel: 020 8768 4500.


Compassionate Care - The Janki Foundation for Global Health Care

13th September, the Worthing Postgraduate Centre, 9.30am - 4pm. This study day for healthcare professionals is run mainly as a facilitated workshop based on a module used in the training programme 'Values in healthcare - a spiritual approach'. The aim is to give an insight into the skills needed to become more compassionate while avoiding compassion fatigue.

The day will be led by Dr Craig Brown, and other experienced facilitators. It is open to all clinical staff working at Worthing Hospital or in primary care, and community health locally.

Cost: £25. For more information or to book a place contact Craig Brown - Tel: 01903 774 735 or e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it



Inclusion into Practice - KIDS

18th September, Neighbourhood Centre, London, SE1. Registration at 9.30am. This national conference, aimed at service and senior managers, strategic planners and decision makers is an opportunity for professionals to further develop their own practice towards inclusive play, youth, childcare and leisure services.

Key themes include participation of disabled children and young people and the role of training in promoting quality inclusion. Speakers include Kate Martin, Senior Development Officer, Council for Disabled Children and Kevin Williams, Chief Executive, KIDS.

Cost: Voluntary - £100, Statutory - £175. To obtain a booking form e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it


Recruiting and Retaining Short Break Carers - Shared Care Network

2nd October, Age Concern, Cardiff. The aim of this training is to identify and share effective practice in recruiting and retaining short break carers. This course is highly interactive and will include group work and discussion, practical work and case studies. The training covers topics such as developing a recruitment strategy and action plan, identifying barriers and blocks, and caring for the carers.

This is appropriate for supervising social workers, short break carers who help with recruitment/support groups, scheme managers and anyone with responsibilities for the recruitment of short break carers.

Cost: £165 for members and £190 for non-members. To obtain a booking form and for more information contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   or Tel: 0117 941 5361
 


Aiming Higher in Children's Palliative Care

National Conference - Thursday 9th October 2008, Bristol

This event will focus on outcomes relating to the key strategy: “Better Care: Better Lives” and an opportunity to discuss the forthcoming “Children’s Continuing Care Framework” Chaired by Professor Sir Alan Craft and with key presentations from experts in policy, practice & commissioning.

If you commission health and social care or design services for children with complex health needs, this event is a ‘must’ for you.

Organised in partnership with: ACT (Association for Children’s Palliative Care); Bangor University; Centre for Child & Adolescent Health, Bristol; Children’s Hospices UK; Care Services Improvement Partnership; Department of Health. For more information including delegate rates please contact: Sally Sterland, Conference Secretar, Centre for Child & Adolescent Health, Hampton House, Cotham Hill, Bristol, BS6 6JS T: 0117 33 10893 E: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Royal Society of Medicine Conference - Northern and Yorkshire Region

Palliative Care in 3D: ‘diversity, dilemmas, and difficulties’

Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 October 2008, The Spa Complex, South Bay, Scarborough, North Yorkshire YO11 2HD

The objective of this conference is to update and challenge current approaches to the frequently recurring dilemmas in the field of Palliative Care, through a combination of evidence based lectures, debate and practical workshops.  This meeting will be of interest and value to specialists working in the field of Palliative Care as well as health care professionals in general.

For more information and to register on line please visit

http://www.rsm.ac.uk/academ/palliativescar.php

For further assistance, please contact Chloe Waite on 020 7290 3844 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Working with Bereaved Children and Young People - Child Bereavement Charity

The aim of the course is to enable trainees to develop a range of techniques to work effectively with bereaved children and young people according to each child or young person's individual needs. The course is open to those who wish to deepen their understanding of the needs of bereaved children. It will not aim to equip trainees to counsel children/young people, but rather to support them in the context of their family and their experience of bereavement.

The course content includes:

Unit 1 - Introduction to supporting bereaved children and young people - 17th to 19th Oct 2008
Unit 2 - Models of child development and application of learning in practice - 28th to 30th Nov 2008
Unit 3 - Working safely and creatively with children and young people - 9th to 11th Jan 2009
Unit 4 - Supporting children and young people in the context of their family and culture - 6th to 8th Feb 2009
Unit 5 - The importance of endings and practice review - 15th to 17th May 2009

The selection day will be the 13th of September 08 and trainees must be able to attend all course dates. Cost: £995.

For further details contact the CBC Training department at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Communicating with Families when Children have a Life-Limiting Condition and Complex Needs - Child Bereavement Charity

24th October, CBC Training Centre, Aston House, High Street, West Wycombe, Bucks, HP14 3AG. Registration - 9.30am. 10.00am - 4.00pm. The aim of the day is 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.

Learning outcomes include: to gain a deeper understanding of families' needs, 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.

The training is suitable for professionals based in the community or in a hospital setting.

Cost: £90. For further details contact the CBC Training department at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it



Safeguarding Disabled Children - Shared Care Network

29th October, Best Western Pond Hotel, Glasgow. The aim of this training is to give delegates a greater knowledge of the increased vulnerability of disabled children and to equip them to detect risk and offer greater protection to vulnerable children.

The content includes consideration of barriers to good practice, consideration of the professional and parental perspectives and ideas for moving forward and resources available. The day will include group discussions, presentations, case studies and discussion/questions.

Cost: £165 - members and £190 - non-members. To obtain a booking form and for more information contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Multi-Professional Week in Palliative Care - St Christophers Hospice

10-14th November, St Christopher's Hospice, London.  This five day long course includes intensive tutoring in clinical palliative and end of life care. It provides an opportunity for health and social care professionals from a variety of settings and countries to work together on exploring the key principles of palliative care and multi-professional working.

It will allow members to develop greater confidence in the practice of their palliative care skills within their own clinical areas and in multi-professional teams.

Cost: £700. For more information or to reserve a place visit www.stchristophers.org.uk/education

Is all Bereavement Traumatic? The Experience of Families and Professionals - Child Bereavement Charity

26th November, Royal Society of Medicine, Wimpole Street, London. 9.30am to 4.30pm. This conference aims to explore issues around bereavement and to address the impact on families and the professionals involved.

The programme will include DVD presentations and case studies from both families and professionals. Items include 'Nothing can describe how I feel when a baby or child dies' by Dr Su Laurent, Consultant in Paediatrics, Barnet Hospital, and part of the day will focus on anticipated death and end of life care in a hospice and the community. The conference will be of interest to various professionals including Doctors/nurses working in ICU, A & E, Paediatric, Midwifery, Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

Cost: £90 per person. £70 booked before 31st July. For more information and an application form contact the training department at the Child Bereavement Charity. Tel: 01494 479 750.