AASW Webinar Recording | Working with People at End of Life: Understanding the SW role in palliative, end of life and bereavement care

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Non-member price: $180.00 including GST

Death is something that affects us all in our lifetimes, yet it is a difficult subject for many within western society to face. Working around dying and death can be equally, if not more challenging and is not something that our training or education necessarily prepares us for. Yet in all sectors of social work practice social workers will encounter people experiencing or impacted by dying, death, loss and grief. How do we understand and navigate these challenging areas of practice?

This webinar will provide a framework for understanding palliative, end of life and bereavement care and where social workers are situated within this space. Death is not just a biomedical event but is also a social event. It impacts not just the life of the person who is dying or has died but also those around that person, including the professionals involved.

A bio-psycho-social-spiritual framework for practice at end of life will be presented that expands the traditional biomedical understanding of death and dying and highlights the valuable impact social workers can have around supporting people at end of life and in their bereavement. Together the presenters will draw on their collective experiences working in palliative care to provide an insight into the world of palliative care from a social work perspective, and knowledge around how we can all support people better at the end of their life.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this program, participants will be able to:

• Gain a broader understanding about what constitutes palliative and bereavement care.
• Develop an understanding of the bio-psycho-social-spiritual framework of social work practice within palliative, end of life and bereavement care.
• Develop an appreciation for the important and diverse role of social work within palliative, end of life and bereavement care.
• Learn about the role of Palliative Care Social Work Australia in developing National Palliative and End of Life Care Standards for social workers and the associations ongoing role in promoting and supporting the social work role in Palliative Care.

AASW Credentials: Older Persons; Mental Health

Presenter

Dr Pippa Blackburn is a social worker and researcher with a nursing background. She has worked in health and social care for nearly 30 years in a variety of roles in the UK and Australia and has specialised in palliative care and bereavement. Pippa is currently the Clinical Services Manager for the Palliative Care Service in the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District.

Pippa Blackburn is an award-winning social worker, recognised for her work in palliative care in Western Australia and raising the profile of social work in this field. Pippa is a co-founder and chair of Palliative Care Social Work Australia (PCSWA). Pippa led and convened the national working group that developed the Australian Palliative Care and End of Life Care Social Work Standards.

Pippa has been a Peer Mentor with the National Standards Assessment Program (NSAP), Palliative Care Australia and worked as an Improvement Facilitator with the Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration (PCOC). Additional to providing clinical care, Pippa’s roles throughout her career have included providing clinical supervision, tertiary and workplace education and training, consultation, project management, service development, policy, and model of care development, implementation, and evaluation. Pippa has also been part of state and national committees, contributing to the development of policy, models of care, strategy and other initiatives related to palliative care and bereavement.

Pippa completed her PhD which focused on exploring factors that influence peoples’ receptivity to support in bereavement and the implications for palliative care services. Pippa has a Masters in Palliative Care and post graduate qualifications in Grief and Palliative Care Counselling. She holds Adjunct research/lecturer positions with Charles Sturt University, NSW and Griffith University, Qld, engaging in ongoing research.

Kris Dwyer is a Social Work graduate of the University of WA and has completed post graduate qualifications in Loss, Grief and Trauma Counselling through Flinders University and a Master of Advanced Social Work Practice through Charles Sturt University.

Kris has almost 30 years’ experience working in metropolitan and regional Western Australia in the areas of child and family welfare, health, aged care, oncology, and palliative care. Kris has also undertaken project and research work for the former Midwest GP Network (now the Mental Health Primary Network), Combined University Centre for Rural Health (now WACRH) and the WA Cancer and Palliative Care Network.

Kris is located in Geraldton, in the Midwest of Western Australia. She is an AASW accredited mental health social worker currently working in her own practice providing counselling support around cancer, palliative and bereavement experiences, clinical supervision, and consultancy work with a range of agencies and educational bodies.

Kris is a co-founder and executive committee member of Palliative Care Social Work Australia (PCSWA) and was involved in the national development of the Australian Palliative and End of Life Care Social Work Standards.

Kris has a particular interest in end of life and bereavement care, aged care, carer support and the challenges associated with the diagnosis of a life limiting illness. Her professional work in these areas focuses on the dynamic ways in which people live their lives, manage their losses, and face the challenges of their often-complex situations.

Jamieson Lowe graduated with a Master of Social Work from Monash University in 2016. He is in his fifth year as Family Support Worker at Eastern Palliative Care, a specialist community pall care service in Melbourne. Prior to this Jamieson worked in Aged Care for 10 years as a personal care worker. In this capacity he developed a passion for care and a belief in the power of human empathy.

Jamieson has recently assumed a co-convener role for the Victoria state network of Palliative Care Social Work Australia. He is passionate about Palliative Care Social Work, particularly the psychological and spiritual support for people and their families around dying. He is very interested in Existential Distress.

Jamieson has been a practising baby Tibetan Buddhist for 25 years.