connecting with children children in a paediatric setting ... · connecting with children children...

Rev. Alister Bull B.D. (Rev. Alister Bull B.D. (HonsHons.), M.Th., Dip. Min., .), M.Th., Dip. Min., Head of Chaplaincy Services, Yorkhill and Glasgow Head of Chaplaincy Services, Yorkhill and Glasgow (North)(North)NHS Greater Glasgow and ClydeNHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde

Connecting with Connecting with ChildrenChildren in a Paediatric Settingin a Paediatric Setting

"Finding a way to assess a Child's Spirituality during their healthcare journey that can be shared with the multidisciplinary team."

Connecting with Connecting with ChildrenChildren in a in a Paediatric SettingPaediatric Setting

What we assume What we assume is that intentional is that intentional assessment is assessment is --–– therapeutic therapeutic –– Conducted by a Conducted by a

healthcare chaplainhealthcare chaplain–– a collaborative a collaborative

activityactivity–– part of the part of the

consensual process consensual process

Picture from Yorkhill Youth services project – Lift Art

The Aim of the The Aim of the workshop is to address workshop is to address these questionsthese questions–– How do we How do we

assess?assess? (Boundaries (Boundaries of competency and of competency and safety)safety)

–– What do we What do we assess?assess? (Boundaries (Boundaries of what we need to of what we need to know)know)

–– How do we share How do we share assessment with assessment with others?others? (what is the (what is the professional professional language?)language?)




The Aim of the The Aim of the research is . . .research is . . .–– to establish a tool to to establish a tool to

connect with connect with childrenchildren

–– to provide an to provide an accessible means to accessible means to understand childrenunderstand children

–– to identify the to identify the required required competencies competencies


MethodologyMethodology

Filmed interviewsFilmed interviews

An acute An acute paediatric paediatric hospital in hospital in ScotlandScotland

RecruitsRecruits–– 20 paediatric 20 paediatric

inpatientsinpatients–– 6 6 –– 13 years old13 years old

ResearcherResearcher–– Healthcare Healthcare

chaplainchaplain


MethodologyMethodology

why that way? why that way? –– Play & story as Play & story as

accessible accessible formsforms

–– The childThe child’’s s displacement displacement from a familiar from a familiar contextcontext

–– The The observation of observation of all involved.all involved.

–– AccountabilityAccountability

Spiritual Assessment Tools for Spiritual Assessment Tools for ChildrenChildren

““that was good . . . . other ones would that was good . . . . other ones would like to do that.like to do that.”” (Case 2)(Case 2)

The development of a paediatric The development of a paediatric spiritual assessment toolspiritual assessment tool

Literature Review: Literature Review: Finding a new Finding a new constructconstruct–– ClearClear–– The priority of The priority of

contextcontext–– Relates to the Relates to the

complexities of child complexities of child developmentdevelopment

–– Reflects how Reflects how children share children share information information

–– GenericGeneric


Definition:Definition:Connectedness Connectedness is the projected link is the projected link made by an individual towards another made by an individual towards another person or object in order for that person or object in order for that individualindividual’’s construction of meaning to s construction of meaning to be understood by another or be understood by another or themselves. themselves.

Connecting with Connecting with ChildrenChildren in a Paediatric Settingin a Paediatric Setting

Why Why ““connectednessconnectedness””??–– You have to share what you seeYou have to share what you see–– Others need to own itOthers need to own it–– People need to be cared for People need to be cared for

holistically holistically –– Localise spiritualityLocalise spirituality

ContextualisationContextualisation

It needs to relate to what we do and It needs to relate to what we do and where we arewhere we are


ConnectednessConnectedness–– The momentum of The momentum of

connectedness connectedness (Fowler)(Fowler)

–– The awareness of The awareness of connectedness connectedness (Bronfenbrenner)(Bronfenbrenner)

–– The resilience of The resilience of connectedness connectedness (Piaget)(Piaget)

–– The evaluative nature of The evaluative nature of connectedness connectedness (Erickson)(Erickson)

Connecting with Connecting with Children Children in a Paediatric Settingin a Paediatric Setting

Finding a way . . . Finding a way . . . –– VygotskiVygotski

SocialculturalSocialcultural theorytheory

The Zone of Proximal The Zone of Proximal DevelopmentDevelopment

–– MyersMyers

Ritual process theoryRitual process theory

–– Applied to connectednessApplied to connectedness

The Zone of Proximal The Zone of Proximal connectedness (ZPC)connectedness (ZPC)

–– A place of hospitalityA place of hospitality–– Recognition of Recognition of

experienceexperience–– Adult presenceAdult presence–– Generating meaning Generating meaning


““Why did I do that?Why did I do that?””

Competencies of Competencies of connectednessconnectedness–– In the zone of proximal In the zone of proximal

connectednessconnectedness

HospitalityHospitality

LiminalityLiminality

ReflexivityReflexivity

FluencyFluency

Connecting withConnecting with Children Children in a in a Paediatric SettingPaediatric Setting

Theology of Theology of ConnectednessConnectedness–– AnswerabilityAnswerability

SimultaneitySimultaneity

–– Plurality of identity Plurality of identity

Dialogical contractDialogical contract

–– Professional LanguageProfessional Language

Creating the Interface Creating the Interface

–– GlocalGlocal

Connecting with Connecting with Children Children in a Paediatric Settingin a Paediatric Setting

What did I find out?What did I find out?–– A construction of A construction of

spirituality for the public spirituality for the public domain domain -- connectedness connectedness

–– A way to find out about A way to find out about a childa child’’s connectednesss connectedness

–– Competencies of Competencies of connectednessconnectedness

–– A way to develop a A way to develop a Theology of Theology of ConnectednessConnectedness

Thanks to Thanks to –– Yorkhill ChildrenYorkhill Children’’s Foundations Foundation–– CHCCCHCC–– University of GlasgowUniversity of Glasgow–– NHS Greater Glasgow and ClydeNHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde–– Medical and Nursing StaffMedical and Nursing Staff–– Yorkhill Medical IllustrationsYorkhill Medical Illustrations–– Patients and their familiesPatients and their families–– FamilyFamily

Connecting withConnecting with Children Children in a in a Paediatric SettingPaediatric Setting

The Aim of the The Aim of the workshop is to address workshop is to address these questionsthese questions–– How do we How do we

assess?assess? (Boundaries (Boundaries of competency and of competency and safety)safety)

–– What do we What do we assess?assess? (Boundaries (Boundaries of what we need to of what we need to know)know)

–– How do we share How do we share assessment with assessment with others?others? (what is the (what is the professional professional language?)language?)



Contact DetailsContact Details

Rev. Alister Bull, B.D.(Hons.), M.Th., Dip. Min.

Head of Chaplaincy Services – Yorkhill & Glasgow (north)

Chaplaincy Office, Yorkhill Hospital

GLASGOWG3 8SJ

Tel. 0141 201 0595Email [email protected]

Study & Research Interest: – The Spiritual needs of

children in hospital– Spiritual Assessment Tools for

Children (PhD studies)

connecting with children children in a paediatric setting ... · connecting with children children...

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