Connections-Engaging-Empowering

Connections.

Lots of things have resonated with me over the last few weeks- whether it is because I am at home- and having the time to read and explore- or that I am able to deeper understand what it's like being on the otherside of healthcare- as a service user, I don't know, but using this blog to highlight key areas of my work and my passions has opened up a whole new world.

Normally I am the person- the point of contact to talk with- share- listen-explore and create a recovering and healing environment.

I am part of a team, and we strive to give explanations that are always from the point of care and supportive- leaving opportunities to further explore and ask questions.
We are the team who acknowledges how difficult it can be sometimes.
We listen, we hear, we act
We form connections, we share stories, we listen to experiences.

The last few weeks have been about connections, engagement and empowering.

The frustrations at the long automated messages I have to listen to or the several phone calls in a day I have to make to chase appts or results..
I have identified the following.....

How interactions and meetings matter.
How different they are when it is face to face.
Hearing a human voice.

Empowering- being enablers in service development.

What is offered - is there a wide range of resources for feedback- so engaging with diverse groups, and sharing findings and views to those that can connect.
Can this influence change.

Engaging.

Taking the time to talk and listen

An awareness of what it's like for an individual - to walk in their shoes and not to do what we think they might want.

Empowering.

Finding ways that offer all patients an option to express- their feelings and how it was for them- isn't easy but by engaging and asking the question- we learn so much- what they share is so rich and has such depth that we really are doing a dis service if we don't act.

We have already seen the powerful impact engaging with patients across NHS and CCG Trusts can have on services, how they are offered and how and who they reach.

#Hellomynameis

What matters to you- is the starting point.

My work experiences and roles have enabled me to sit alongside amazing children, young people and their families- I have found that sometimes individuals and organisations can over think ways to connect- making it complicated, and in turn this prevents the connection, because its to difficult, people cannot be reached, and speaking with many they feel "too far away"

When engaging with children, young people and their families its always important to engage in a trusting relationship- so even the "tough stuff"can be voiced, talked through, and explored, if that is what is needed.
As health care professionals the most powerful learning opportunities come from this meeting and engagement.

Equally the space to explore powerful emotions- and the acknowledgment that we cannot always change them, or take them away, but we can hold them in safety, and acknowledge difficulties, fear, pain and sorrow.

If not, we know who we could ask to continue that supportive relationship.

Communicating is tricky- but often it is not how much is said, but how each person hears it, recognising that each person's words are of value,  and perhaps the way forward is to use the power of "share, inform, impact"

Starting the process of engagement to some may feel like taking a step in the dark- with no one to guide you- but that really isn't the way it is.
There are many national organisations who work within engagement with children and young people at the very centre of their work- this allows for such a richness that cannot be found anywhere else.
I would recommend, if you haven't already, checking out just a few- there are many amazing orgs doing such powerful work-take some time to explore some of the following.

Perhaps you have some local projects that are beginning to start outreach engagement work, your NHS Trusts and CCGs are great places to start.


NHS Youth Forum- www.england.nhs.uk
@NHSYouthForum

RCPCH- www.rcpch.ac.uk
@RCPCH_and_Us

Fixers- www.fixers.org.uk
@FixersUK

Me First
www.mefirst.org.uk

There are also some powerful parents, children, young people and families, who share their experiences with us, hoping that their stories will impact and make change happen for others, below are just 4- they have taught me so much.

@YvonneNewbold
@Adsthepoet
@leighakendall
@Mothers_Inst_UK

Final Thoughts.....

"We can all become beacons of sense, creating small ripples, carrying a pebble in our pockets- that could start a slow positive wave- its already begun.

Chatting for that extra 5 minutes- allows connection and conversation, it takes courage, at times, and you may reveal your own wounds, but there lies the wisdom.
Clarity, respect and taking the time to check information shows we are present, and a willingness to engage"



Sian Spencer-Little

The Importance of Stories, and the Creative Arts.

 "The stories we tell about each other matter very much.
  The stories we tell ourselves about our own lives matter.
   And most of all, I think the way we participate
   in each others stories is of deep importance"
           Jessica Jackley

                                                                                                                                           

For a child or young person sharing their stories can be the hardest thing they have ever had to do-and for the listener it can be powerful.

For the listener it can highlight lived experiences, a deeper understanding of what it is actually like in the "real-world" for that child or young person.

The difficulties faced, the raw emotions, the battles fought and lost, and the core feelings.

Listening to a child or young persons voice is the greatest thing we can do as health care professionals - listening to a families story- the impact of a hospital admission, of care received, of a diagnosis- is key to understanding, to walking alongside, to support, to empower, to care.

When these stories are shared they are of deep importance, they matter greatly, and so our role here is to sit alongside and listen, for then we may gain a little insight into their world, to provide human contact, face to face.

Sharing space with a young person is not something that we can assume- but being invited speaks volumes, once there the art of listening, without interpretation is key.

 " I remember getting off the bus, and it was raining- I had no umbrella so was getting soaked.

   I remember feeling so sad, like I was an empty can of coke, but so angry I didn't know what to do- or where to go"

 This was just the beginning of this young persons story- told quietly, in a small space, within a clinical area, whilst sharing a creative activity- it began half way through the time we had together, no pressure, using creative tools to empower, and an adult that didn't make any judgements- and acknowledged how tough, and hurtful is had been.

The narrative, the story, the lived experience - is of deep importance in healthcare across all care groups, but also amongst all health care professionals.

It can provide a level of teamwork, of shared learning and skills, of research gathering and of support.

It can also be a way of reaching out, of nurturing and of caring for each other.

As a Specialised Play Practitioner a lot of my working day is spent alongside children and young people, sharing their mini stories, and making up stories as a way of working through fears and worries about a hospital procedure or experience.

We do this in healthcare, in order to gain a deep understanding of our patients and client group- but do we do this enough?

Do we recognise the importance of stories and storytelling?

Stories are powerful instruments- they enable us to set the scene, introduce characters, and fire up the imagination of children and young people.

They may allow us to introduce puppets, instruments and costume- and although the stories may be profound, and the words used emotive- they are just as important- as a way of expression, and sometimes of working though the really "tough stuff"

Stories can also be uplifting, funny, and have a sense of achievement and growth- sparking the creative journey.

Each type of story has it place in health and social care- to challenge us, to highlight core issues-  to worry us at times, or make us passionate about its subject, but for the person trusting us enough to share -we must always listen.

Shared space and experience is a powerful thing- it should not be underestimated- it may just make an impact on a much bigger storyline- yet to be written.

   "A child's voice, however honest and true, is meaningless to those who have forgotten how to listen"

Sian Spencer-Little

Specialised Play Practitioner.