October 2020 College Communique | ACCYPN

October 2020 College Communique

 

WHAT’S INSIDE?

  • Chairperson’s Letter
  • ACCYPN Journal of Children and Young People’s Health – Official Launch
  • ACCYPN Webinar
  • WA Chapter Report
  • Dorothy Clarke Scholarship Recipient Update
  • Women & Leadership Australia – End of Year Funding
  • Palliative Care Nurses Australia 2020 Conference
  • Queensland Clinical Guidelines
  • Australian Children’s Knowledge Acceleration Hub – September & October Digest
  • Academy of Child & Adolescent Health – Webinar Series
  • Commission for Children and Young People – What Children and Young People told us about the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Victoria + Keeping Children Safe during COVID-19 and Online
  • ACCYPN – Join the Conversation

EMAIL LISTING

To ensure that all emailed ACCYPN correspondence reaches you, please add info@accypn.org.au to your address book and/or safe senders list. 

CHAIRPERSON’S LETTER

Dear Members
Welcome to the October edition of Communique.
I have been reflecting on the past 12 months in readiness for presentation of the ACCYPN Annual General Meeting and presentation of the Annual Report, and what an extraordinary year it has been. A world-wide respiratory pandemic was certainly not on anyone’s minds as we prepared to celebrate 2020 as the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife. I continue to be greatly encouraged by the commitment and activity of our members, especially during these challenging times. I wish to acknowledge all nurses and midwives, in particular all nurses who care for our children and young people and thank you for everything that you do.
I wish to thank all members for their engagement with the College, and in particular those members who have coordinated or participated in activities over the past year. As I write this letter today, I feel so very proud of the commitment of the Directors and members who have brought our new Journal to life. This month, we officially launched the Journal of Children and Young People’s Health, as the official journal of ACCYPN, and we look forward to growing the Journal to provide a high quality publication promoting scholarship among children and young people’s nurses throughout Australia and the Asia Pacific.
I would like to make a special acknowledgement of our Company Secretary, Dr Jan Pratt. Jan was the driving force behind the creation of the ACCYPN 12 years ago, as the peak national nursing organisation for children and young people’s nurses. Since then Jan has served tirelessly on the Board of Directors as Chairperson, Director and later as the Company Secretary. Jan is stepping down from the position of Secretary this month, and on behalf of the Board I cannot thank her enough for everything she has done to support the advancement of the College and the nursing specialty. We welcome Pam O’Nions as the incoming Secretary and wish Jan all the very best in her well-earned retirement from the Board.

Regards
Cathy Marron
Chairperson – ACCYPN Board of Directors

Dr Jan Pratt AM

Immediate Past Company Secretary ACCYPN Board

Assistant Director of Nursing – Strategic Initiatives, Metro South Health
Adjunct Associate Professor
School of Nursing, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology

OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE ACCYPN JOURNAL OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE’S HEALTH

We are thrilled to announce that the Journal of Children and Young People’s Health (JCYPH), the Official Journal of the ACCYPN, is now available for members via the members section of the ACCYPN website.
 

ACCYPN Journal Launch Recording

 

ACCYPN WEBINAR
ENHANCING ACCESS TO PARENTING SERVICES
THROUGH THE USE OF
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY SUPPORTED PRACTICES

We warmly invite you to join Dr Ailsa Munns, Senior Lecturer and Course Coordinator, Child and Adolescent Nursing Programs at the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine, Curtin University &  Dr Jane Kohlhoff, Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Australia and Research Fellow at Karitaneon (on behalf of wider research team: Dr Elaine Bennett, Prof Catherine Fowler, Ms Wendy Simpson) on a Webinar.
Session Title: Enhancing access to parenting services through the use of digital technology supported practices
Presenters: Dr Ailsa Munns & Dr Jane Kohlhoff (on behalf of wider research team: Dr Elaine Bennett, Prof Catherine Fowler, Ms Wendy Simpson)Date: Thursday 12 November 2020
Time: 1:00 pm QLD Time (AEST) (1 CPD Hour) (1/2 hour presentation with 15 minutes Q&A and 15 minutes open discussion)
Attendance: Live Webinar
Cost: Members (Free), Non Members $25.00
Payment: Payment to be received at time of registration by Credit or Debit Card
Registration:
Members please use the registration link sent to you via email. 
Non-Members – Online Registration
Disclaimer: The webinar will be recorded.  As this webinar includes Q&A and open discussion, anyone who participates or has their video turned on may be included in the recording.
Abstract
Early Parenting Services (EPSs) in Australia and New Zealand have a long history of providing support for families, building parenting capacity, enhancing parent-child relationships, and strengthening family connections with community supports. Parents often contact an EPS when they require additional assistance with issues to do with their children’s sleep, nutrition, behaviour or parental adjustment and/or distress in the early years of life, particularly during the first two years. This assistance varies from providing individual information and education, or meeting parents in a group context, through to more specialised support such as individual parent/family consultations, counselling or therapeutic group work for the enhancement of the parent/child relationship.
Traditionally, EPSs have supported parents by using face-to-face methods. In recent years, however, many EPCs have adopted innovative digital technologies to improve service access for metropolitan and rural families. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, this trend has increased exponentially; EPCs have undergone rapid transformations of their service delivery models to utilize digital technologies to enable the continuation of service provision despite social distancing requirements and other restrictions associated with the pandemic.
 
Presenter Bios
Dr Ailsa Munns is a Senior Lecturer and Course Coordinator Child and Adolescent Nursing Programs at the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine, Curtin University. Ailsa has significant experience as a researcher and clinician in community child, adolescent and family health in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations. A major research interest has been working in partnership with rural, remote and urban populations in the development and evaluation of peer support programs for families with children in the early years. Ailsa has supervised several Masters by Coursework students to completion and is currently co-supervising Masters of Philosophy and PhD students. Ailsa has a large publication record in peer reviewed journals, books and book chapters, and government reports. She has established professional and research relationships with the Department of Health, WA, Ngala, Telethon Kids, The Centre for Aboriginal Studies at Curtin University and Murdoch University’s Ngangk Yira Research Centre.
Dr Jane Kohlhoff is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Australia and Research Fellow at Karitane. Dr Kohlhoff works in collaboration with Karitane to conduct clinically-oriented and translational research in the areas of perinatal, infant and early childhood mental health. She has particular interest in attachment theory and clinical applications, early interventions to improve outcomes for vulnerable and marginalised families, and the roles of early environmental and biological factors in the intergenerational transmission of poor parenting and psychological outcomes. In 2018 Dr Kohlhoff led a NSW state government funded pilot of PCIT delivered via the Internet to families from rural and remote areas of New South Wales, Australia. She also leads a program of research evaluating the efficacy of an early intervention parenting program called PCIT-Toddler. She has published widely, presented at numerous international conferences, and received a number of awards including the 2017 Ingham Institute Early Career Researcher Award and a prestigious 2017 Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Award.

                      Dr Ailsa Munns

                       Dr Jane Kohlhoff

WA CHAPTER REPORT

Clinical Supper “Every Family is Different”
The WA Chapter Clinical Supper Every Family is Different – presented by Maureen Eppen (Writer) on 8th September 2020, was well-attended by 15 people in person and 22 via Telehealth sites.
Maureen Eppen is a local writer based in Rockingham, south of Perth. Maureen gave a fantastic presentation about how she came to write her first children’s picture book “Every Family is Different”. The highlight for Maureen was not only having her book published but also having it read by Stephen Fry on Duchess of York Sarah Fergusons YouTube Channel ‘Storytime’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHv7DttOfv0
For Maureen the book was inspired by her mum, who raised Maureen and her sister on her own, a single parent family not the norm in her childhood. The book evolved to include reflections on the many different families among family and friends including blended families, multi-generational families, single parent and same sex parents’ families, families with lots of children and families with no children … She hopes that her book will be available in every school to help children understand that their family may not be the same as other peoples families, and that ok because “Every Family is different”.
The feedback was very positive, with everyone enjoying the event and most purchasing one or more copies of the book to share with others. Maureen also donated a copy of the book to Perth Children’s’ Hospital and will be available to the public in the parents resource centre.
  • Great opportunity to meet the person who created such a beautiful book, thanks!
  • Excellent presentation
  • Thought-provoking, thank you
  • Loved the book. Simple for children to read and understand. Will be buying one for my niece and nephew
  • Absolutely fantastic, thank you so much ????
  • Great to see diversity in speakers
  • Great content of the presentation thanks
  • Great to have a good news story
We also received a number of suggestions for future sessions:
  • Ear bus or hear from those services that take their services remotely
  • Trauma, Burnout
  • Evidence-based practice – updating skills
  • Eczema, dermatology
  • Speech delay – Ref options
  • Communicating effectively with children and families
  • Quality improvement initiated in paediatric nursing
  • Holistic care of paediatric patients
Save the Date – ACCYPN WA Chapter Clinical Breakfast
We are pleased to announce the ACCYPN WA Chapter Clinical Breakfast – Saturday 7 November 2020.  
Presenter: AccessPLUS WA Deaf
Date: Saturday 7 November 2020
Time: 8.30am – 11.00am (2.5 CPD Hour) 
Venue: Maylands Peninsula Golf Course, Swanbank Road, Maylands
Parking: Onsite Parking
Cost: Members $25.00, Non Members $35.00 
Payment by Debit or Credit Card required at time of registration.
Inclusions:     Includes full breakfast, juice and tea/coffee
Registration: By Monday 2 November 2020 unless booked out earlier. Numbers are limited due to COVID-19 so please book early to avoid disappointment.  All COVID-19 precautions will be adhered to as required.
Non Members register via the ACCYPN Website 

DOROTHY CLARKE SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT UPDATE

Title: Children’s participation in the decision-making process during hospitalisation: An observational study
Authors: Foster M¹ˈ², Whitehead, L¹ˈ³, Hallström I⁴, Frost, L⁵
There is an international move to develop a theoretical child centred care model to support and promote children’s participation and decision making during a hospital admission. Our study explored how children participated in the decision-making process in collaboration with their parents and staff’s experiences of this phenomena whilst resident or working within a paediatric ward in Australia. We interviewed 12 children (5-14 years), 16 parents (14 mothers, 2 fathers) and 14 staff (13 nurses, 1 dietician) on their experiences of children’s participation in decision-making whilst in hospital. We also collected information on whether staff acted in accordance with a child’s opinions, wishes and validation during a shared decision-making event. Presently, the results from this study are being analysed in collaboration with international researchers and in conjunction with duplicate analysis in Sweden and Denmark. The results of this study will help guide clinicians and key stakeholders on the development, evaluation, and implementation of strategies to support children’s participation in decision making in the hospital setting.
Funding: This study was partially funded by the Australian College of Children and Young People’s Nurses Dorothy Clarke Scholarship.
Author Affiliations: 1. School of Nursing and Midwifery, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia, 2. Perth Children’s Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, 3. University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand, 4. Lund University, Lund, Sweden, 5. Joondalup Health Campus, Perth, Western Australia.

END OF YEAR FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR
WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

End of year funding grants are currently available to women who work in the health care sector to support their participation in a professional development program.
For more than 16 years, Women & Leadership Australia (WLA) has been developing female leadership and supporting the presence of women in business and community leadership roles through the Industry Partnership Framework. Prioritising women who work in the health care sector has been a key component of their strategic impetus to date, particularly at the senior level within organisations.
Up to $5,000 scholarships available
The fee support opportunity provides a scholarship of up to $5,000 for women to take part in one of three leadership courses.
The grants have been provisioned for use by women right across the country, with a specific focus on the health care sector, but must be allocated by the end of 2020. The programs are suitable for junior managers right through to executive level women. 
How to Register?
Expressions of Interest are being sourced until 4th December 2020 (unless allocated prior) via this link: https://www.wla.edu.au/health.html   

PALLIATIVE CARE NURSES AUSTRALIA
2020 CONFERENCE

It is with great excitement that we announce the Palliative Care Nurses Australia Conference is going to be an interactive virtual event.
The virtual conference will run over 4 short days from the 22nd – 25th November 2020. This format offers greater flexibility to those wishing to participate in the conference as all presentations will be available live or as an on-demand playback option.
This four-day interactive virtual conference is the perfect forum for nurses and other health professionals to seek new knowledge, become familiar with new products and services to the industry, and to identify opportunities to translate the best evidence into clinical and academic excellence. Networking, debating, and socialising with peers adds a further dimension to the experience.
Registration, calls for scholarship applications, and late breaking submissions is now open so please visit the website for updates.

QUEENSLAND CLINICAL GUIDELINES

Queensland Clinical Guidelines (QCG) wishes to acknowledge and thank clinicians for their support and involvement in the development of statewide clinical guidelines.
QCG is pleased to advise that the following statewide clinical guidelines have been reviewed and published at www.health.qld.gov.au/qcg:
  • Vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC) (Guideline No. MN20.12.-V5-R25)
  • Perinatal care of the extremely preterm baby (Guideline No. MN20.32-V2-R25)
  • Maternity care for mothers and babies during COVID-19 pandemic (Guideline No. MN20.63-V4-R25)
Additionally, the Frequently asked Questions (FAQ) about GDM testing and screening during COVID-19 has been updated. (Document No. O20.33-1-V5-R25)
These guidelines and document replace the previous versions and as such all printed copies should be replaced.
All published guidelines have undergone rigorous development processes involving broad statewide consultation, and endorsement by the Statewide Maternity and Neonatal Clinical Network on behalf of, Queensland Health.
Each clinical guideline is accompanied by a guideline supplement which presents the methodology, levels of evidence, and suggested implementation methods. The supplement is integral to and should be read in conjunction with the guideline.
Consumer information, flowcharts, education presentations and knowledge assessments aligned to the guidelines are available from the QCG website: www.health.qld.gov.au/qcg
Clinicians are encouraged to participate and provide feedback on these guidelines. Queensland Clinical Guidelines can be contacted at Guidelines@health.qld.gov.au should clinical staff wish to register their interest.

THE LATEST DIGEST – A READY SOURCE OF EVIDENCE

This initiative by ARACY and UNICEF Australia aims to ensure COVID’s impacts on young people are understood and able to be more easily communicated to decision makers at all levels.
This fourth release covers information and analysis released through September 2020. Earlier editions of the Digest can be found at the Hub. 
Key takeaways from the September Digest include:
  • There are serious concerns that the reductions in JobKeeper and JobSeeker will push many children into poverty. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia’s poverty rate was fairly average amongst rich countries, ranking 15th out of 41 rich countries.
  • While some children and young people may have experienced a strain in family relationships during COVID-19, 34% of mothers and 44% of fathers reported in June having more meaningful conversations with their children, compared to pre-COVID-19 levels
  • Teachers report having a relentless workload, not wanting to teach anymore and feeling unprepared during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those surveyed report working up to three times more hours than they were paid
  • Young people are missing out on important milestones and rites of passage, having substantial impacts on their opportunities and sense of identity
The analyses in this month’s edition focus on the following areas:
  • social security
  • family dynamics
  • alcohol consumption and substance use
  • teacher burnout, and the importance of the early childhood education and care sector
  • having a say in the community
  • rites of passage and relationships
Key takeaways from the October Digest include:
  • Some budget announcements will help to improve the material basics for children and young people, including jobs for young people and investment in universities. At the same time, there is little to support employment for young women, there will be a large debt to be repaid by future generations, and the reduction of the JobSeeker rate will have a substantial effect on families doing it tough.
  • A reduction in child-related presentations to protection services throughout the pandemic coincides with an increase in reported family violence cases. This indicates that children may be falling through the cracks.
  • There has been an increase in the proportion of young people reporting that they feel they are considered equal stakeholders in the pandemic (59% in July/August, compared to 25% in April). While this is a significant improvement, it still highlights that a large proportion of young people do not feel they have a say in the things that matter.
  • Young people from multicultural backgrounds have experienced high levels of direct racial discrimination throughout the pandemic.
The analyses in this month’s edition focuses on the following areas:
  • budget implications for children and young people
  • visibility of at-risk children, and digital safety
  • COVID-19: physical and mental health effects on children
  • access to early childhood education and care
  • young people’s role as a stakeholder
  • racial discrimination of young people
We want to hear from you
If you have developed or are aware of further evidence as to the impacts of COVID-19 upon which future policy and practice can be based, please send your contribution to communications@aracy.org.au with the subject Adaption Sharing.  Please keep your program summary / contribution to 100 words or less and include relevant web links,

WEBINAR SERIES

Wednesday 11 November 2020, Dean Hayden will be talking to two game-changers in Child and Adolescent Health. Professor Zulfi Bhutta and Professor Susan Sawyer will discuss the current challenges we face globally and our progress towards the target of health equity.

Thursday 12 November 2020 at 1800 (AEDT) Professor Elizabeth Elliott will sit down with the Assistant High Commissioner, UNHCR, Professor Gillian Triggs. Professor Triggs who will join a Q&A session from Geneva to discuss Refugee Child Health Rights.

Click here for your free registration.

WHAT CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE TOLD US ABOUT THE IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN VICTORIA

Earlier this month, the Commission for Children and Young People released three snapshots detailing what we heard during consultations on the impact of COVID-19 on Victorian children and young people.
They heard from 644 children and young people, and 172 staff from 70 organisations providing services and supports to children and young people.
The insights gathered have informed our advocacy and oversight work during the pandemic. Hearing from and listening to children and young people will be vital in the weeks and months ahead.

We hope that the snapshots provide useful insights and perspectives for you, as we work together to respond to the virus and its significant economic, social and health impacts.

You can read an overview of the findings and insights here.

Click here to download Safety Snapshot

Click here to download Mental Health Snapshot

Click here to download Education Snapshot

KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE
DURING COVID-19 AND ONLINE

COVID-19 restrictions have seen many organisations change how their services are delivered. For some, this has meant an increase in the use of online or phone engagement with children and young people.
It’s important to keep the safety of children a priority – both in person and online.
Compliance with the Child Safe Standards is mandatory in Victoria. Organisations should make sure they have considered the risks to children if they have made any changes to the way they operate as a result of COVID-19.
Your organisation’s contact with a child or young person may also be one of very few interactions they are having outside the home. Organisations engaging with children and young people play an important role by being alert to the safety and wellbeing of children and young people. In situations where you have concerns, think carefully about how to safely and appropriately engage with a child or young person about their wellbeing.
Resources are available to help you:
 
Commission for Children and Young People
Office of the eSafety Commissioner
Other Resources
The Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare has a useful factsheet for organisations on safeguarding children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
The Alannah and Madeline Foundation’s eSmart program supports schools to address cyber risks, bullying and cyber-bullying and helps schools to meet their duty of care.

DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING OUR MEMBERS WOULD BE INTERESTED IN HEARING ABOUT?

  • An interesting article
  • Something happening in your workplace
  • An event you would like to share

We warmly welcome member newsletter contributions.  Please email your items to info@accypn.org.au