CPD Points:
5 CEUs (Ethics) from CMSA
3 (General) & 2 (Ethics) from CPSC 

What is the Cultural Competency and Spiritual Care in Paediatric Palliative Care course about?

This course provides a comprehensive overview of the need and value of developing cultural competence both as an individual and for organisations. Cultural competency ensures that patients feel respected, heard and safe to continue accessing services that are provided. The need to provide often neglected spiritual support and care to children with serious illnesses and to their families cannot be over stated. There are times when medical practitioners have done everything they know to control pain and yet find it is intractable. It is important for them to recognise that spiritual pain is very real and needs to be addressed with their patients.

This Cultural Competency and Spiritual Care in Paediatric Palliative Care course covers the following topics:

• The relevance of culture when providing palliative care to children and their families
• The need to develop cultural competence.
• The differences and similarities between spirituality and religion.
• Ways in which children express their spirituality.
• The signs of spiritual suffering in children and adults.
• Assessment of spirituality and spiritual needs in children and family members
• The spiritual needs of children with a serious illness.
• Planning for and providing spiritual care to children with a life-limiting illness and their families.
• Providing spiritual care to adolescents
• Providing spiritual care at the time of death.
• Providing spiritual care to bereaved families.

Why take the course?

“From birth children are spiritual beings, and their spirituality is both experienced and expressed as connections to their developing self-awareness, to others, to nature and to something or Someone greater than themselves. Spiritual care helps them to find meaning and purpose in their lives, especially important when they have a life-limiting illness. Children are also affected by their cultural environment, which helps to build their identity. Cultural interactions may change, and include the culture of childhood and of the health care system. This course provides a solid foundation upon which to begin providing culturally competent care to patients and ensuring their spiritual concerns are addressed.”

Joan Marston
International Children’s Palliative Care Advocate & Lay Minister
Founder of Sunflower Children’s Hospice
Co-Chair of PALLCHASE