From November 2001 NASW NEWS
Copyright ©2001, National Association of Social Workers, Inc.

Family Care for Child Death Urged

Emotional care for the family is as important as medical treatment was for the child.

NASW on Sept. 8 presented a statement to a committee of the National Academies' Institute of Medicine on end-of-life care for children and their families.

Mirean Coleman, NASW Professional Development and Advocacy senior staff associate, spoke to the institute's Committee on Care for Children who Die and Their Families, which is compiling testimony from experts and relevant organizations for a study.

"Until recently, little attention was given to the death of a child and the care of the family," Coleman said. "Today, health care professionals are recognizing that the emotional care provided to a family at the time of a child's death is as important as the medical treatment that the child received before the death."

"In order to make a healthy adjustment to the death," she said, "family members require emotional support, comfort, attention, critical information to make informed decisions, follow-up and linkage to community resources."

Coleman advocated proper education, supervision and training for health care professionals who work with children who die and their families, as well as special training in cultural diversity and religious backgrounds. She said critical-incident stress management and debriefing can also be "very helpful in providing support to providers of care."

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