Strengthening Paediatric Palliative Care Education

“Together, let’s make compassionate care the standard,” says Annette Vickery, Paediatric Project Manager, Palliative Care Australia  

“Great things happen when passionate people come together – and you are invited to join a growing community of health professionals who are better supporting young people and families by improving end of life communication skills.”  

A collaboration between Palliative Care Australia’s (PCA) ‘Shaping the Future of Paediatric Palliative Care’ project and the Quality of Care Collaborative Australia (QuoCCA) has resulted in  increased opportunities to improve end of life communication skills for health professionals engaged in paediatric end of life care. 

With 92% of the participants describing this learning as extremely helpful or very helpful – you need to get involved.  To start, PCA has led the development of the Paediatric End of Life Care Communication course – these eight, free, self-guided online modules are ready for you now.  

Regardless of your role in health services or where you are located, this eLearning gives you the ability to embed compassionate and effective conversations within your day to day interactions and within our care systems.  

Completing the online modules opens the opportunity for you to take part in a face to face workshop, where you can deepen your skills and continue your learning from young people and families who know what good and bad communication looks like. 

“So far, two interactive workshops developed with QuoCCA, have been held, engaging people from a range of healthcare backgrounds, with more sessions planned as more people complete the online components,” Ms Vickery says.  

“Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with participants talking about how the experience boosted their confidence in having difficult conversations, in fact 81% of participants have reported being able to apply the learnings in their daily work, directly improving the care they provide.  

“As we look ahead to the growing need for palliative care, over 40,000 children and young people are expected to need support in the coming years. These communication skills are crucial in ensuring families receive the care they deserve.” 

Please don’t wait, take action now to empower compassionate, family centred, holistic care – together we shape the future of paediatric palliative care. 

The Paediatric End of Life Care Communication course is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, through the National Palliative Care Projects initiative. Thank you to our partners QuoCCA, who continue to break down barriers and deliver essential training and education.