Awhi is still in development, we'd love your feedback and suggestions. Let us know.

Awhi Ngā Mātua graphicAwhi Ngā Mātua Logo

Communicating with children when a parent is at the end of life

Rachel Fearnley

An orange shape for decoration.Cover image for Communicating with children when a parent is at the end of life /

Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers,

Publish date: 20 November 2023

Summary

"When a parent is nearing the end of life, children can feel like their world has been turned upside down, and they are often scared and confused about what is happening. Sensitive and clear communication with children is vital to help them understand and cope with their parent's illness. This accessible book demonstrates how to support children through effective and sensitive communication, covering types of communication, language, information sharing, and overcoming common barriers. Developing confidence and skills such as talking, listening, giving children a voice and breaking bad news is also covered. The author outlines the concept of a 'communication continuum' which can be used to assess how much a child knows or understands about their parent's illness and how much they would like to know. The book contains a wealth of practical strategies and ideas, as well as case vignettes, practice tips and reflective exercises. This is an essential resource for anyone working with or supporting a child whose parent is at the end of life, including palliative care workers, nurses, social workers, teachers and counsellors." -- publisher website

Book

Updated: 20 November 2023

Was this resource helpful to you?

A skeleton of three lines.A skeleton of four lines.
An illustration of people sitting in a row.

Join the conversation

Sign up to the Awhi Ngā Mātua community and get access to a welcoming community of parents

Join us on instagram for a kaputī
Awhi footer background image.
Awhi Ngā Mātua Logo

The Awhi Ngā Mātua team would like to thank Takai, the IHC Foundation and the Dines Family Charitable Trust for their generous contributions to our work. A huge thank you also to the IHC Programmes team, in particular the IHC Library which has worked so hard to make their remarkable collection available to us.

Use of this website is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy