Working together with families in crisis: removing barriers in inter-professional education.

The aim of this presentation will be to ‘show case’ the challenges and opportunities of organising and facilitating an inter-professional learning workshop, between Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Social Work and Midwifery students. The team will present their experiences of crossing inter disciplinary boundaries and supporting students in inter-professional learning. The presentation will include discussion of the use of innovative learning approaches, including working with Drama students to deliver a series of scripted monologues based on a case scenario. This supported participants to develop critical reflective thinking and to enter more fully into the service users’ experiences and explore more deeply the complexity of the situation from a range of professional perspectives. Creative learning activities underpinned the pedagogy and a dynamic world café style learning approach developed knowledge and understanding about working together with families in crisis.
We also worked with a group of specialist clinicians to enhance students’ understanding and skills in working empathetically with young parents, whilst considering safeguarding dilemmas and responsibilities. The day culminated in a simulated Child Protection Conference. A short video clip of the day will be shown as part of the presentation.
Intended Outcomes of the Presentation
- Provide a greater understanding of the challenges and opportunities of organising inter - disciplinary student learning events.
- Demonstrate students’ perspectives on this learning event and highlight their thoughts regarding skills gained for working with families in crisis.
- Outline practical pointers for collaborative working between students, academics and practice partners.