Aurion Learning Celebrates Launch of Informing Families
Belfast (Northern Ireland), July 2010 - Informing families that their child has a disability is never an easy task, but now some help is at hand. The National Federation of Voluntary Bodies and Equality, Disability, and Mental Health Minister John Moloney have launched the Informing Families Project, which has culminated in the development and launch of a range of tools and materials designed to support best practice at the time of a child's diagnosis with a disability.
The tools include the Nationals Federation's national guidelines on the best way to communicate the sensitive news of a child's disability to the family. As well as the guidelines, the website "Informing Families" has been developed, which contains practical information and advice for health professionals and families. It also contains an eLearning module especially designed for health professionals.
Designed and built by online learning specialist Aurion Learning, the Informing Families eLearning programme is suitable for all professionals charged with informing families that their child has a disability. It starts by examining how important good practice is to families, goes on to outline the national best practice guidelines, and then asks learners to assess their current abilities.
The eLearning programme includes several audiovisual clips in which parents and professionals share their real-life experiences, allowing learners to gain insight and empathise with families. It also includes interactive learning content, including exercises, question-and-answer sessions, and self-assessment and reflection exercises to keep learners active and involved in the learning. Health professionals who complete the eLearning programme will receive a certificate of achievement from the Health Service Executive and FedVOL.
Speaking at the launch, Alison Harnett, the Informing Families Project coordinator says, "Breaking news of a child's disability can cause a huge amount of distress for families, with some remembering twenty years later how they were first told. Doctors used to believe that giving the worst-case scenario was the best thing to do, instead of acknowledging any uncertainty of what the child was capable of doing and working with the family."
"We are discouraging professionals from using terms like 'this Down Syndrome child'. Instead, we are encouraging them to use the child's name first, such as, "Ben, who has Down Syndrome, …" We want them to give positive, realistic messages with hope. We want the truth to be told but do not want professionals to feel they have to give the worst-case scenario."
Dr. Maureen Murphy, Director of Aurion Learning says, "We are very proud to have been part of this very important and worthwhile project. We encourage families and health professionals to check out the Informing Families website, and we especially encourage relevant health professionals to give our Informing Families eLearning programme a try."
