Auditing a Paediatric Chaplaincy Provision

Reflections On the Use of a Taxonomy

Authors

  • Paul Nash Birmingham Children’s Hospital
  • Emma Roberts Birmingham Children’s Hospital
  • Sally Nash Birmingham Children’s Hospital
  • Kathryn Darby Birmingham Children’s Hospital
  • Aftab Ahmed Parwaz Birmingham Children’s Hospital

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/hscc.35698

Keywords:

Taxonomy, paediatric, adult, chaplaincy, children’s hospital

Abstract

Birmingham Children’s Hospital, with permission from Advocate Health Care in Chicago, adapted a taxonomy of chaplaincy activities for a paediatric context. Twelve members of the Chaplaincy team, representing three world faiths, recorded their activities on 80 taxonomy charts and an audit questionnaire. The audit addressed issues outside of the taxonomy chart, including how spiritual needs were assessed, and asked for reflections on the use of the taxonomy. A thematic analysis was carried out on the audit responses by a team of four, including experienced chaplains and researchers. Themes identified for intended effects (why chaplains do what they do) were: initiate/build supportive relationships, engage to assist sense of belonging, mitigate/process feelings, enhance assets; for method (how chaplains do what they do): demonstrate/offer care, empower/enable, explore and process, engender and encourage strengths and emotions, family/community; and for intervention (what chaplains do): religious care, sense/ meaning making, processing, enhance spiritual wellbeing. The audit heightened intentionality and facilitated recording and explaining what chaplains do to multidisciplinary staff. It also helped the team better understand how they work through purposeful articulation of encounters.

Author Biographies

  • Paul Nash, Birmingham Children’s Hospital

    Paul Nash is Chaplaincy and Spiritual Team Care Leader at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK.

  • Emma Roberts, Birmingham Children’s Hospital

    Emma Roberts was a research assistant at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Birmingham, UK.

  • Sally Nash, Birmingham Children’s Hospital

    Sally Nash is a researcher for the Centre for Paediatric Spiritual Care, Birmingham, UK.

  • Kathryn Darby, Birmingham Children’s Hospital

    Kathryn Darby was a chaplain at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Birmingham, UK.

  • Aftab Ahmed Parwaz, Birmingham Children’s Hospital

    Aftab Ahmed Parwaz is is a chaplain at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Birmingham, UK.

References

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Nash, P., E. Roberts, S. Nash, K. Darby and A. A. Parwaz (2018) “Adapting the Advocate Health Care Taxonomy of Chaplaincy For a Pediatric Hospital Context – a Pilot Study”. Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy (Forthcoming). https://doi.org/10.1080/08854726.2018.1473911

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Published

2019-01-19

How to Cite

Nash, P., Roberts, E., Nash, S., Darby, K., & Parwaz, A. (2019). Auditing a Paediatric Chaplaincy Provision: Reflections On the Use of a Taxonomy. Health and Social Care Chaplaincy, 6(2), 215-238. https://doi.org/10.1558/hscc.35698