ACT - The Association for Children's Palliative Care

Expression of Interest

The UK’s first Chair in Palliative Care for Children and Young People

The True Colours Trust in collaboration with ACT and Children’s Hospices UK are supporting the establishment of the UK's first Chair in Palliative Care for Children and Young People. Children’s Palliative Care is a relatively new field and this role represents an important and prestigious step in its development.

It is envisaged that this post will be based in an academic institution with an existing interest in this area and which would like to work with ACT, Children’s Hospices UK and The True Colours Trust in an active collaboration to enhance service delivery in palliative care for children, young people and their families.

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

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Nurses in Coventry and Warwickshire PCTs have developed a new tool to support staff who care for children with complex health needs.

The Coventry and Warwickshire PCT Competency System is a teaching and assessment tool  for teaching support workers and junior nurses to look after children with complex needs; developed by the Children's Community Nursing Teams. The competencies aim to teach and assess holistically including psychological and child focused elements.

Each competency includes power point slides, teaching notes, handouts, workbook, model answers and a competency document.

Ed Balls MP, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, announced (15th May 2008) a major package of support for disabled children and their families at a national conference as part of the Aiming High for Disabled Children programme.  ED Balls MP was joined by Ivan Lewis MP, Care Services Minister and Andrew Adonis, Minister for Schools, as they outlined their proposals for building on Aiming High for Disabled Children.  Other key annoucments of the day included:

• The publication of anti-bullying guidance for schools designed to tackle bullying of disabled children
• A new ‘Core Offer’ for families with disabled children.
• The first wave of pilots for the £35 million Disabled Children's Access to Childcare Project.
• A new body - called "Together for Disablied Children" bringing together Serco and Contact a Family to support the delivery of short breaks and parent forums.
• New programme documents for parents and children and young people, and a new section of the Every Child Matters website for parents and professionals
  

The Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health (CEMACH) has published a world first study into the deaths of children report (published 13 May 2008).  The study aimed to identify ways to improve health and social care outcomes for children and is based on a review of over 900 child deaths in three reguions of England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2006.

In particular the report highlighted:

• The need for children to be cared for by paediatric trained healthcare professionals, especially in acute and primary care settings.
• A risk that serious illness can be missed in children.
• A larger Confidential Enquiry should provide valuable lessons to improve the care of children.

You can download the report - Why Children Die: A pilot Study from the CEMACH website