Erica Brown

Supporting the Child and the Family in Paediatric Palliative Care provides a comprehensive overview of good practice in caring for terminally-ill children, young people and their families. Drawing from extensive personal experiences of working in paediatric palliative care, the author provides guidance on issues including symptom management and pain relief; cultural, religious and spiritual aspects of care; and the role of education for life-limited children. Addressing the importance of individual needs, the book looks at emotional, social and cognitive support at different stages of the illness, how parents and professionals can respond to children's own questions about death, and the impact of life-limiting illness on the whole family - including grandparents and siblings. The material offers helpful suggestions on how to support families in making informed choices during distressing periods, such as where their child will die and how to prepare for the funeral. This book is a practical and invaluable tool for nurses, paediatricians, hospice care staff, bereavement counsellors and all those caring for life-limited children.

It is estimated that at any one time around 135,000 school children are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They may be survivors of abuse (physical, emotional or sexual) or bullying. Some may have been involved in a road accident, an accident at home or any other traumatic event. This book provides teachers, support staff and other educational professionals with the information they need to, really understand the implications of PTSD, ably and effectively support and educate a traumatized child, address questions such as what can cause PTSD in young people? and understand how PTSD might affect the education of children at school.

First Published in 1999. Helping children come to terms with and be aware of loss, change and grief is an undeveloped area within education although they are universal features of human experience. Here the author fosters a positive attitude to teaching and learning about such issues. She explores many experiences of loss and grief and different beliefs and practices are discussed so that the reader can gain a better understanding of how children grieve. She also provides suggestions for ways in which this topic can be taught within the school curriculum and offers practical suggestions for effective, professional collaboration.