The mission of the Taskforce is to encourage all members of the EAPC to support spiritual care in palliative care through:
- Recognition
- Research
- Education
- Implementation
- Funding/resources
Short term aims and objectives: 2011-2013
1. Recognition
- To promote representation of the SC dimension in the EAPC board
- To write articles about SC and aim to have these accepted in leading journals
- To encourage regional and national meetings on spiritual care in palliative care (SCPC)
- To bring healthcare workers physicians, nurses, social workers, etc.) and faith leaders/chaplains/spiritual workers in contact within programs to build mutual understanding on the role of each other in SCPC
- To activate national forums for chaplains and clergy on multidisciplinary SCPC
- To promote awareness of the spiritual needs in the medical and religious worlds.
2. Research
- To translate guidelines, standards and educational programs on SCPC in English;
- To promote a research workshop at EAPC congress, on methodology
- To make an inventory on existing research on SCPC in EU
- To build a European network of researchers in SCPC and interest universities in SC topics identified by the TF
- To promote research as a part of the ‘normal’ work of the chaplain
- To collect SCPC narratives of different EU backgrounds to be available for teaching and research on EAPC-SCPC website
- To identify research questions SCPC
- To reframe research questions to include SC (from bio-psycho-social frame to bio-psycho-social-spiritual frame)
3. Education
- To contribute to the quality of the spirituality program on EAPC congresses
- To make accessible and exchange successful training programs
- To develop core content in teaching spirituality to non chaplaincy-professionals
¨ definition issues; basic understanding of SCPC (professional)
¨ spiritual needs, assessment tools,
¨ spiritual needs and resources of carers
¨ spiritual culture in teams
- To promote spiritual issues as a mandatory element of all disciplines
- To preparation of training materials based on Marie Curie spiritual care competencies across 4 levels of NICE
4. Implementation
- To collect examples of good practice and learn about them (for example: I and death groups, Murphy groups, Public Health campaign ‘Dying Matters’)
- To write and publish a EU manifest to promote having a spiritual caregiver in multidisciplinary pc teams
- To make an inventory on standards on SCPC
5. Funding/resources
- To make a further inventory of possible funding and resources and connect with relevant organisations.