Resources

Transition to Adulthood A guide for practitioners working with disabled young people and their families

Cerebra, a national charity that improve the lives of children with neurological conditions, has launched this new guide. The guide is aimed at practitioners working with disabled young people and their families, focusing on those young people aged between 16 and 25. It explains the legal and policy frameworks, for England and Wales, that are relevant to areas in which these young people and their families are likely to need support and advice as the young person enters adulthood. Its purpose is to help practitioners understand the relevant law and policy so that they can guide young disabled people through this transition to adulthood.
 
To read more you can download the document here (1,053KB PDF)

What can I do? Protecting your child from sexual abuse

In the wake of recent news stories about allegations of sexual abuse against children, the NSPCC is making its recently published booklet for parents and carers, What can I do? Protecting your child from sexual abuse, available for free to parents and professionals working with families

What can I do? Protecting your child from sexual abuse with nursing practitioners and the families they work with who may have a need. You can look at this publication by following this link: http://www.nspcc.org.uk/help-and-advice/for-parents-and-carers/guides-for-parents/sexual-abuse/sexual-abuse_wda90715.html

We would like to offer all RCN members up to 10 free copies, and invite any parent they have contact with to apply to us for a free copy.

Managing children with health care needs: delegation of clinical procedures, training, accountability and governance issues

In 2004, the Council for Disabled Children published ‘the Dignity of Risk’ which contained an advisory list of procedures previously produced by the Royal College of Nursing in 1999, highlighting those clinical procedures which could be safely taught and delegated to unregistered health and non-health qualified staff. This list was subsequently updated for ‘Including Me’ in 2005. Further revisions have since been made to reflect some of the queries which have arisen, clarifying pointers as needed. This most recent version takes account of changes occurring in the NHS and the significant risks posed to children and young people arising from the plethora of private providers and social enterprises. This document will continue to be updated at periodic intervals.

To read more you can download the document here (106KB PDF)

Safeguarding Children and Young people: roles and competences for health care staff, Intercollegiate document, September 2010

To protect children and young people from harm, all health staff must have the competences to recognise child maltreatment and to take effective action as appropriate to their role. They must also clearly understand their responsibilities, and should be supported by their employing organisation to fulfil their duties.

In 2006 the Royal Colleges and professional bodies jointly published Safeguarding children and young people: roles and competences for health care staff. The document described six levels of competences and provided model role descriptions for named and designated professionals.

Since that time, reviews across the UK have reinforced the need to further improve the safeguarding skills and understanding of health staff, and to improve access to safeguarding training (see 2-7). A specific review of safeguarding training by the Department of Health in England highlighted the need for greater clarity about the training that should be received by different staff groups.

To read more you can download the document here (867KB PDF)

Recruitment of nurse case assessors to review care received by children and young people with epilepsy

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Heath (RCPCH) is currently recruiting nurses to work as case assessors on the Child Health Reviews-UK case review project, which is part of the UK-wide Clinical Outcome Review Programme commissioned by HQIP. Case assessors will perform criterion-based and holistic assessments of clinical care received by children and young people with epilepsy, who have died of any cause or been admitted to hospital for intensive or high dependency care following a prolonged seizure.

Case assessors will work collaboratively in pairs of one nurse and one paediatrician to review care received based on case notes from various healthcare settings. Comprehensive training covering service evaluation projects, case assessment methodology and data protection will be provided, and final appointment will be confirmed following training.

For more information on how to apply please visit:
www.rcpch.ac.uk/child-health-reviews-uk/recruiting-case-assessors/recruiting-case-assessors

RGN Directory of children's community nursing

This directory has been produced since 1987 and the latest edition includes details of over 200 services. The aims of the directory are:

RCN Directory of children's community nursing services (WORD 731KB)

If your team's entry is missing or needs refreshing, please send updated information to community.editor@rcn.org.uk

Children's Community Nursing Directory 2012 (England)

An updated CCN directory (PDF 366KB) has been composed with details of services available. See how to access PDF files.

Children's Community Nursing Directory 2011 (Northern Ireland)

The directory of community children’s nursing teams in Northern Ireland was compiled by Orla Watt and be accessed here (PDF 73KB).

Emotional neglect and emotional abuse in pre-school children

The NSPCC and Cardiff University have launched a new resource to help practitioners identify emotional neglect and emotional abuse in pre-school children.

The resource, which is free to download, alerts practitioners to the key signs they should look out for both in a child’s behaviour and in parent-child interactions which may indicate a child is being emotionally neglected or emotionally abused.

It is the latest in the CORE-INFO series of leaflets and is based on a systematic review of the latest worldwide published scientific research into the features of emotional neglect and emotional abuse in children under six, conducted by Cardiff University’s Child Protection Systematic Review group.

Dr Sabine Maguire, of Cardiff University, said: “The review showed there are clearly observable emotional, behavioural and developmental features in pre-school children who have been emotionally neglected or emotionally abused. Early recognition of these features potentially enables the cycle of emotional neglect or emotional abuse to be broken, thus preventing longer term consequences which may include increasing aggression, poor social skills and language delay.”

Dr Ruth Gardner, head of the NSPCC’s neglect programme said: “Emotional neglect and abuse in early infancy have a profound impact on children and can lead to them becoming anxious, anti-social, withdrawn, or aggressive later in life. It is vital that practitioners have the right resources to allow them to recognise the signs early, as the longer the child is left in an emotionally abusive or neglectful environment, the greater the resulting damage. By bringing together the learning from a wide range of research in an accessible way the new CORE-INFO resource will be very valuable in helping practitioners identify these children and seek specialised assessment where necessary.”

This is part of the work that the NSPCC is undertaking to tackle neglect, a key priority for the charity, with its research showing that one in 10 children are experiencing severe neglect in childhood and recent report revealing that calls to its helpline about neglect have doubled in the last two years.

The resource can be downloaded by going to www.nspcc.org.uk/core-info

Latest Evidence Update from NHS Evidence - food allergy in children and young people

Food allergy in children and young people: Evidence update May 2012 is the latest evidence update from NHS Evidence – a service provided by NICE. It focuses on a summary of selected new evidence relevant to NICE clinical guideline 116 Diagnosis and assessment of food allergy in children and young people in primary care and community settings (2011).

The full document can be downloaded here (PDF 272KB)

NHS Children's Neuro Update April 2012

The latest edition of the Safe and Sustainable Children’s Neurosurgical Services can be found here (PDF 3MB)

Critical care - a one-stop resource for critical care practitioners

Resource from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency which includes guidance, safety alerts and links to educational material to assist in the safe use and management of medicines and medical devices.

Strengthening the commitment: The report of the UK Modernising Learning Disabilities Nursing Review

Health and social care systems across the UK continue to face significant strategic, structural and economic change, with an increased focus on localism and integration, changes in commissioning structures and a strong emphasis on outcomes and transparency. Learning disabilities nursing must adapt to meet the demands of this change.

The UK Modernising Learning Disabilities Nursing Review aims to ensure the best possible services are provided to people with learning disabilities, their families and carers now and in the future and that we have a valued and thriving learning disabilities nursing profession.

To read the report in full, please go here (PDF 1.04MB).

Allergywise

The Anaphylaxis Campaign has developed AllergyWise, an online course, based on its successful school nurse training in anaphylaxis and severe allergy.

AllergyWise for healthcare professionals is accredited by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and endorsed by the British Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI). The course is specifically designed for health care professionals including school or nursery nurses, health visitors, those with responsibility for training teachers and other staff working in schools and early years settings.

For more information, please download the Allergywise flyer (PDF 101KB)

Managing children with health care needs: delegation of clinical procedures, training and accountability issues

In 2004, the Council for Disabled Children published The Dignity of Risk which contained an advisory list of procedures previously produced by the Royal College of Nursing in 1999, highlighting those clinical procedures which could be safely taught and delegated to non-health qualified staff. This list was subsequently updated for Including Me in 20052. Further revisions have since been made to reflect some of the queries which have arisen, clarifying pointers as needed. This document will continue to be updated at periodic intervals.

To access the document, please go here (PDF 50KB)

All Babies Count- Support for parents

Becoming a new parent is a really exciting time. But it can also be worrying. The NSPCC booklet All Babies Count: support for parents explores the challenges that new parents face and the vulnerability of babies. Written following consultation with both parents and professionals, this is a resource for you to share with parents, especially those parents who are under stress as it includes advice on how to calm a crying baby, how to manage the stress of new parenthood, how to pick up signs of post-natal depression and where to get help.

NSPCC are offering those who work with parents 10 free copies of this booklet (whilst stocks last). Please email info@nspcc.org.uk  or ring 0207 825 2775.  Alternatively you can download a copy from www.nspcc.org.uk 

The NSPCC want All Babies Count to be a tool to support your work. If you have any comments or feedback about how effective this booklet has been, they would like to hear from you. Please contact them on info@nspcc.org.uk 

HeadSmart- raising awareness of brain tumour symptoms

HeadSmart is a new joint campaign by the Children's Brain Tumour Research Centre at the University of Nottingham, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) and the Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust that aims to raise awareness of brain tumour symptoms by helping parents and health professionals spot the signs of brain tumours in
children and young people.

For more information please visit www.headsmart.org.uk or download the PDF below.

HeadSmart- be brain tumour aware (PDF 86KB)

ERIC launches new website

ERIC (Education and Resources for Improving Childhood Continence) has launched a new website to allow health professionals, parents and children to easily access information and support on childhood continence problems.

Continence problems affect one in 12 children and young people in the UK and ERIC is the only organisation dedicated to providing information and support. The new website includes updated information for children, young people, parents and health professionals along with easy to navigate headings. The website also features interactive message boards, an online training booking facility and ERIC’s specialist online shop.

For additional information please visit www.eric.org.uk

Short breaks: training materials on the new duties in force from 01 April 2011

On 01 April 2011 important new duties on local authorities came into force about the provision of short breaks. The first set of duties relate to Care Planning, Placement and Case Review Regulations and Guidance. The second set describe the new duty on local authorities to provide short breaks. These training materials are based on events held with local authorities, voluntary organisations and parent forums. For more information, please visit www.ncb.org.uk

Children and Young People's Palliative and Complex Care – new e-learning programme from Coventry University

Coventry University has developed a post graduate e-learning programme to benefit the lives of children with palliative and complex care needs and their families. For more information, please visit www.coventry.ac.uk  

Community Children’s Nursing Teams in Northern Ireland 2011

To download this document, please go here (PDF 93KB)

Back to sleep

The headline statistics from the launch was that in 1991, when Ann Diamond launched the Back to Sleep campaign, there were over 4,000 cot deaths, that number is now around 400. There are currently 6,500 stillbirth and neonatal death (17 per day), and they hope this campaign will start a move towards reducing that figure, which puts the UK 35th out of 37 developed countries!

“Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, has called for more research, better care and greater awareness of the risks of stillbirth and early death in a report entitled Preventing Babies' Deaths: What Needs To Be Done. With 6,500 babies stillborn or dying shortly after birth each year in the UK, the charity believes that up to 1,200 of these deaths could be avoided.

The new report, launched on 18 January at the House of Commons, highlights advances in neonatal medicine which have led to some reductions in the number of deaths. However, stillbirth numbers in the UK remain much the same as they were in the late 1990s, and Sands believes that commitment and investment in research and improved care will result in a reduction in the rates. The Royal College of Midwives has welcomed the report's assertion that high quality ante-natal care is needed to help women and their families to minimise risks and poor outcomes, but stress that this requires sufficient numbers of midwives to deliver the care.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists have also welcomed the report, citing a need for more research into the causes of stillbirth and an emphasis on what is required for clinical staff supporting such families.

The report includes personal stories on babies who have died, and the devastating impact the deaths have on parents and families. To read the report in full, please click here (PDF 3806KP)

Residual anaesthetic drugs in cannulae

Reference number1140 E
Issue date27 November 2009

The Signal relates to risks to children as result of residual anaesthetic being left in cannulae after surgery.

After intravenous anaesthesia, small amounts of the agent may be left in the cannula which is then flushed into the patient when further fluid or medication is given intravenously through the same cannula. This may happen when ward staff give antibiotics or pain relief after the patient returns from theatre.  The National Patients Agency have this report.  For more information please visit the NPSA link.

[See: How to access PDF files].

Guidance on U16 pregnancy checks

Determining pregnancy status in young female patients under 16 years of age is an area that clinicians may find difficult.  Whilst regulators state it is required before surgical or radiological procedures the ethical, practical and contextual considerations can compromise compliance with good practice. This practical guide sets out the considerations and approaches that NHS organisations may consider when developing their policies in this area.  Supported by all the major professional clinical bodies and backed with evident statistics and tools it aims to support local members in brokering conversations and agreement around this sensitive process.

For more information, please visit www.rcpch.ac.uk/pregnancychecks

A whole systems approach to improve the planning and commissioning of services for children and families

The British Association for Community Child Heath (BACCH) has produced a discussion document for consultation. The intention is to try and improve the quality of planning and commissioning, delivery and regulation of services in order to achieve better outcomes for children and families through the adoption of a family-friendly framework. 

For more information, please download the framework (PDF 770KB)