Bringing a child to hospital, whether it be for tests or major treatment, can be a stressful and disorienting experience. Spiritual Care practitioners are available to support you during this time. Spiritual support is likely to be of benefit whether or not you are religious or if you belong to a church, temple, synagogue, mosque, or other practice.
Spiritual Care practitioners can assist by:
- Providing respectful and non-judgemental listening
- Helping you consider and sort through feelings and options
- Journeying with you during times of stress, loss and grief
- Suggesting spiritual resources consistent with your beliefs and values
- Facilitating the meeting of religious and\or spiritual needs of patients and families
- Care of the "spirit" of the person, encouraging a holistic approach to care
Who are we?
Professional Spiritual Care practitioners at The Royal Children's Hospital (RCH) are trained to offer person centred, inclusive service. We work as members of the multi-disciplinary team addressing the needs of patients and families. We offer a respectful spiritual care service that honours the dignity and value of each person.
- Spiritual Care practitioners serve patients and families from all faith traditions, as well as those who are skeptical, searching, or just wish to talk.
- Spiritual Care practitioners assist patients and families draw on their own religious/spiritual strengths as they face the issues raised by a child's illness. They offer support in difficult times and listen if patients and families require.
- Spiritual Care practitioners assist patients and families meet religious and spiritual needs. This may include ritual, prayer, access to sacred texts such as the Qur'an, Bible, prayer books, a blessing before surgery, or a visit from a religious leader from a specific faith tradition.
- Spiritual Care practitioners help families in crisis situations by counselling, problem-solving and identifying options when it seems like none exist.
- The prayer and meditation space is a place for prayer and meditation for people of all faiths and none. It is located on the ground floor in the North Building near the Family Resource Centre. If you require access after 10pm please ask a nurse to arrange for security to escort you.
- Our Spiritual Care practitioners serve patients and families of many different religious backgrounds. If you wish to connect with your own faith group during your hospital stay, please contact the Spiritual Care coordinator Ext 51839 or Call Switchboard (91) and ask to be connected or ask a staff member to make a referral to Spiritual Care.
You can download the latest version of our Summery Document for the Spiritual Care Department which outlines in further detail what spiritual care is and how we work within the RCH setting.
Spiritual Care Department Summary Document
Multi-Faith Calendar
MultiFaith Calander 2023 Click this link to Download a copy of the Spiritual Health Association Multi Faith Calendar for 2023.
Relevant RCH Policies
The Royal
Children’s Hospital Consumer Focused Care and Child Safety
https://staging.rch.org.au/policy/policies/Consumer_Focused_Care_and_Child_Safety/
The Royal
Children’s Hospital Death and Bereavement Policy
https://www.rch.org.au/policy/policies/Death_and_Bereavement/
The Royal
Children’s Hospital Documentation: Medical Records
https://www.rch.org.au/policy/policies/Documentation__Medical_Records/
The Royal
Children’s Hospital Family Violence: Responding to patients and families
https://www.rch.org.au/policy/policies/Family_violence__Responding_to_patients_and_families/
The Royal
Children’s Hospital Family Violence: Support for employees and families
procedure
https://www.rch.org.au/policy/policies/Family_violence_Support_for_employees_and_families/
The Royal
Children’s Hospital Spiritual Care Policy
https://www.rch.org.au/policy/policies/Pastoral_and_Spiritual_Care/
The Royal
Children’s Hospital Personal Information – Access
https://www.rch.org.au/policy/policies/Personal_Information_-_Access/
The Royal
Children’s Hospital Personal Information – Confidentiality
https://www.rch.org.au/policy/policies/Personal_Information_-_Confidentiality/
The Royal
Children’s Hospital Personal Information – Privacy
https://www.rchRoyal
Children’s Hospital.org.au/policy/policies/Personal Information_-_Privacy/
The Royal Children’s
Hospital Personal Information - Security
https://www.rch.org.au/policy/policies/Personal_Information_-_Security/
The Royal
Children’s Hospital Privacy Policy
https://www.rch.org.au/policy/policies/Privacy/
The Royal
Children’s Hospital Vulnerable Children and Child Safety
https://www.rch.org.au/policy/policies/vulnerable-children/