Training Grants for Parents, Carers and Professionals
Are you a parent or family member providing care for a child with a life-threatening or life-limiting condition?
Do you deliver or support children’s palliative care services for the under 25s?
Do you want to learn new skills to help support children and young people – but can’t afford the training?
ACT has launched a new training grants programme to help families, carers and professionals working in the field to help enhance their skills, knowledge and competencies.
The ACT Children’s Palliative Care Training Grant Programme, funded by The True Colours Trust, aims to help support best practice and specialist knowledge in caring for children with life-limiting conditions by providing small one-off grants of up to £250 to individuals and agencies who wouldn’t otherwise be able to access specialist training. We can also offer some assistance with your travel costs - up to £50.
It’s hoped that the ACT Children’s Palliative Care Training Grant Programme will help parents, carers and professionals to attend training, events or conferences which will provide them with valuable information or support to enhance their skills and confidence in caring for a life-limited child. Equally the scheme is designed to address a skills shortage in this field by supporting professionals to share best practice and to hone their skills.
The ACT Children’s Palliative Care Training Grants Programme is now open. You can download an application form here.
Or call 0117 922 1556 or email
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
and we will send you an application form.
Training Grant applications will be assessed by a panel of children’s palliative care specialists on a quarterly basis (April 2008, July 2008, October 2008, and January 2009). The panel will include representatives from both ACT and ACH (Association of Children’s Hospices).
To qualify for a training grant individuals must be resident in the UK and either:
- A parent or close family member of a child with a life-limiting, life-threatening condition, or disability/health condition which will shorten their life;
- An individual professional supporting life-limited or life-threatened children;
- Work for an organisation providing children’s palliative care.
A full copy of the ACT Training Grants Guidelines are detailed below:
About the ACT Best Practice Training Grants
ACT wants to ensure that all life-limited children and their families get the highest standards of care and support. One of the ways we can do this is by supporting parents, carers and professionals to maintain or improve their level of knowledge and skills in children’s palliative care through training, conferences, seminars and professional development.
Many parents and professionals tell us that they just can’t afford to get the training and information they need – even though there are many courses and events that would really help them.
ACT wants to make a real difference. With generous support from The True Colours Trust we can now award small training and development grants to parents and professionals. We don’t have a huge pot of money – but what we do have will be awarded to those individuals who need it most.
What sort of training will you consider?
We will consider grant applications for training, events, conferences and seminars that meet the following criteria:
For professionals: Training that will help to share best practice and to enhance the knowledge, skills and competencies of those working in children’s palliative care. The training should also meet one or more of the standards of support and care outlined in the ACT Charter for Life-limited Children and their Families. You can download the ACT Charter here.
For parents, carers and close family members: We also want to fund training, conferences or events that will provide families with information or support that will help their child/children, increase their skills and confidence in caring for a child, or support their wider family.
For example, it could be a course about supporting siblings of children with life-limiting conditions, a course about carer’s rights, accessing grants or adaptations to help at home, or an event about helping children and families plan end-of-life care.
Can I apply?
You can apply for an ACT Best Practice Children’s Palliative Care Training Grant if you are resident in the UK and are:
· A parent or close family member of a child with a life-limiting, life-threatening condition, or disability/health condition which will shorten their life.
· An individual professional supporting life-limited or life-threatened children.
· Work for an organisation providing children’s palliative care - this does not need to be your organisation’s primary function, but those attending the training must provide care or support to life-limited or life-threatened individuals under the age of 25, and/or to their families.
How much will we fund?
We will pay a maximum of £250 towards an individual’s cost of attending a training course, conference or seminar. We will also pay a maximum of £50 towards your travel for attending the event.
We will only award one grant per individual per year.
NB. Travel costs will only be paid if the event is more than 10 miles from the individual’s normal place of work. The costs should be calculated using the cheapest possible method of transport – 2nd class rail, bus, or normal mileage reimbursement rates.
How many applications can I make?
You may apply as many times as you wish, and all applications will be considered on merit. However we will only award one grant per person, per year.
What we can’t fund
No grants will be given for training that had already taken place at the time the application was submitted. Because we only have a small training fund we cannot make a grant for more than two people from the same organisation to attend the same event. We are unable to fund any mandatory training.
How can I apply?
Just fill in the form attached and send it to ACT with a copy of the information about the course and evidence of the costs for the course/event/conference that you would like the grant for. For example, a copy of the conference booking sheet or application form. You should also enclose a copy of the course programme or agenda for the training/seminar/event. If you are a paid worker you will need to get your line manager to sign the application form. The more information you provide, the better. If you have any difficulties filling in the application form, please call Debbie Hye at ACT on 0117 922 1556. All completed applications must be received two weeks before the panel meets.
When will I know the outcome?
The ACT Best Practice Children’s Palliative Care Training Grants for parents and professionals will be approved by the ACT (Association for Children’s Palliative Care) and ACH (Association of Children’s Hospices) Training Grants Panel on a quarterly basis. Please see our website for dates - www.act.org.uk/traininggrants - or call ACT on 0117 922 1556.
We will let you know the outcome by email within one week of the meeting if you have been successful, and within two weeks if you have been unsuccessful.
If the training takes place between meetings we will consider your application at the next available meeting.
How and when will you make the payment?
The grant will only be paid for the individual/event specified on the application form.
We will email you to let you know that your application has been approved, and send you a grant acceptance form to complete. You must return the form to us once the training has taken place to confirm attendance, and we will issue you with a cheque as soon as possible. We are unable to make the payment in advance.
We cannot reimburse you for any administration or cancellation charges if the named individual is unable to attend.
It is a condition of the grant that we receive feedback on how the grant has improved the skills of those that attended and the services delivered.
We will send you a monitoring form after the training date, which must be completed and returned to us within one month. Any information provided on the monitoring form may be used by ACT in any of its publications, or at any events, and we may ask you to prepare a more detailed report or presentation.
How to Contact ACT
ACT (Association for Children’s Palliative Care)
Orchard House, Orchard Lane, Bristol, BS1 5DT
T. 0117 922 1556 F. 0117 930 4707
E.
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
W www.act.org.uk
Helpline: 0845 108 2201
|
