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Professional Certificate in Children and Loss

Professional Certificate in Children and Loss 2023

Professional Certificate in Children and Loss

Applications are now open for the Professional Certificate in Children and Loss 2024/2025. 

All applications need to be made online through the RCSI website.

Open Evening

We will be holding an online Open Evening for prospective applicants on Wednesday, April 17 at 7:00 – 8:00 pm. Register via the button below.

"The depth of knowledge and, at times, heart-wrenching experiential learning stimulated by guest speakers facilitated a journey of self-reflection that helped me re-adjust my lens to the myriad of influences that can impact upon the bereaved child."

Post grad testimonial

This Professional Certificate in Children and Loss course aims to equip professionals who work with children/adolescents with the skills to understand and support them when grieving. When a child experiences loss, either through death or a parental separation, their needs are often misunderstood or overlooked. Children may express their grief in ways that are different to adults, and often their reactions can go unrecognised.

Download the 2024/2025 course schedule

The programme aims to equip students with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values to:

  • Demonstrate a critical understanding of core theories and ethical underpinnings of children and young people’s experiences of death loss and non-death loss in their lives and associated losses and changes.
  • Determine the central principles essential to organisational and personal support while working with bereaved children and young people experiencing a death loss or non-death loss in their lives.
  • Evaluate the impact of a range of losses and changes and how they may be experienced by children and young people at different developmental stages of their lives as a consequence of a death loss or non-death loss, whilst acknowledging the influence of diverse family and inter-generational histories and vulnerabilities, as well as the deprivation associated with systemic and social inequalities.
  • Appropriately assess the resilience of bereaved children and young people as well as their familial and community supports taking account of structural and personal vulnerabilities and mitigating circumstances.
  • Justify appropriate level 1 and level 2 interventions (ICBN, 2014) for children and young people according to their needs.
  • Apply new knowledge and skills into professional practice.
  • Reflect on professional development and personal growth through the educational experience.
  • Exhibit an integrated, value-based, inclusive and evidence-based approach to the support of children and young people after a death or non-death loss in their lives.

This is a part-time blended course that runs from September to March each year with two modules. Each module consists of approximately 200 hours of learning, including lecture time, self-directed learning, assignment preparation and integrative sessions.

Module 1 (Sept – Dec 2024) will be taught online on Zoom (with the exception of the Orientation session on 5 September 2024, which will be in-person).

Module 2 (Jan – March 2025) will be taught in-person (with the exception of 6 March 2025 Integrative session, which will be online).

All in-person sessions will be held in Irish Hospice Foundation, Morrison Chambers, 4th Floor, 32 Nassau Street, Dublin 2, D02 X627 from 9:15am – 4:15pm.

Download the 2024/2025 course schedule

This is an RCSI programme, run in association with Irish Hospice Foundation. It is accredited by RCSI and National University of Ireland as a Level 9 qualification. This course design supports the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). RCSI and NUI have awarded the course 20 credits. The programme is designed around Level 9 outcomes as identified in the National Framework of Qualifications.

On successful completion, participants will be able to:

  • Critically evaluate the core theories and ethical frameworks underpinning our understanding of children and young people’s experiences of death loss and non-death loss in their lives and associated losses and changes.
  • Differentiate how a range of losses may be experienced by children and young people at various developmental stages, with reference to diverse family and inter-generational contexts, vulnerabilities, as well as deprivations associated with systemic and social inequalities.
  • Appropriately assess the resilience of bereaved children and young people with reference to familial and community supports, personal and contextual vulnerabilities.
  • Demonstrate reflective practice, self-care and self-awareness.
  • Locate and critique current knowledge from loss-related literature.

On successful completion, participants will be able to:

  • Critically determine the central competence and ethical principles essential to organisational and personal support while working with children and young people experiencing a death or non-death loss in their lives in relation to community interventions, formal support services and resources available.
  • Evaluate appropriate intervention strategies for working with children and young people experiencing death or non-death loss with reference to appropriate Level 1 and Level 2 interventions (ICBN, 2014) for children and young people according to their needs.
  • Demonstrate a discerning understanding of standards for safe and appropriate
    bereavement care for children and young people.
  • Exhibit an integrated, value-based, inclusive and evidence-based approach to supporting children and young people after a death or non-death loss in their lives whilst acknowledging the influence of diverse family and inter-generational histories and vulnerabilities, as well as the deprivation associated with systemic and social inequalities.
  • Develop critical self-awareness within the scope of professional role and limitations of competence.
  • Reflect on professional development and personal growth through the educational experience.

Applications are invited from professionals whose work brings them into contact with children who are bereaved through a family death or parental separation. The course will be of interest to teachers, chaplains, social workers, social care workers, psychologists, counsellors, nurses and others who meet bereaved children in their work.

Participants must possess a Level 8 degree in a relevant area or equivalent demonstrated through a defined Recognition of Prior Learning Process (RPL). RPL requires demonstration of significant experience in working with children in a professional capacity or through formal volunteering; completion of CPD or other training in a relevant area; and relevance of course to career/opportunity to apply learning.

An academic transcript of your Level 8 degree will be requested. An academic transcript lists your academic history: programme attended, a breakdown of marks/grades achieved, the degree awarded, your overall grade and conferring date. International degrees’ equivalency are to be verified by using the NARIC service from QQI

English language requirement

Prospective students for whom English is not their native language may need to arrange a test to confirm proficiency in English with the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). For more information on requirements, exceptions and test centres, click here.

The fee for the course is €1,650. The fee may be paid by bank transfer or credit/debit card to Irish Hospice Foundation. A non-refundable deposit of €250 is required on acceptance of a course place. Fees are eligible for tax relief.

Cancellations

Cancellations up to three weeks prior to the course commencing will be given a full refund, minus a cancellation fee of €200 after this time no refunds will be made.

Applications are now open for the Professional Certificate in Children and Loss 2024/2025.

All applications need to be made online through the RCSI website.

Get in Touch

If you have a query regarding the Professional Certificate in Children and Loss, please reach out to Iris Murray: [email protected].

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