Carla Reigada, on behalf of the Portuguese Association of Palliative Care (APCP) Social Work Task Force, introduces the Portuguese translation of this essential document and encourages others to translate it into their languages.
Members of the APCP Social Work Task Force. Top row clockwise: Carla Reigada, Margarida Pires, Claudia Romao, Joana Lourenço, Joana Coelho, Milton Alves and Paula Ramos.
Writing in the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) blog in November 2014, Dr Sean Hughes described the EAPC white paper: ‘Core competencies for palliative care social work in Europe: Part 1 and Part 2’, and expressed the hope that it would “provide a basis for debate and a springboard for developing new core curricula for palliative care social work training… essential if social workers are to continue to contribute to improving the quality of life of dying people and their families across Europe.”
Now, I am delighted to report that a Portuguese translation of this important document is available, thanks to the Portuguese Association of Palliative Care (APCP) Social Work Task Force. This is the first translation of the EAPC’s ‘Core competencies for palliative care social work in Europe’ and we would encourage you to consider translating it into other languages. This way, we will facilitate the integration of values and skills of the social workers into a palliative care team. It is urgent that social work professionals acquire concrete competencies in the area of health, and particularly in the issues of suffering and end of life. (You can find out more about translating EAPC documents into other languages at the end of this post).
The APCP Social Work Task Force is composed of social workers with experience and/or training in palliative care. This group works actively to publicise the role and skills of the social worker in this field and also aims to contribute to the training of multidisciplinary palliative care teams, to support research/training in social work, and to promote the networking and transfer of knowledge of these professionals at a national and international level.
According to the National Palliative Care Commission, since 2018, four collaboration protocols have been signed between the Ministry of Health and public schools of social work. This protocol contemplates the existence of a subject of palliative care within the pre-graduate curriculum, which is compulsory, with a total of hours not less than 12.5 (min. 0.5 European Credit Transfer System).
We would like to see included in the undergraduate curricula of all social work schools, the teaching of values, principles and skills necessary to assisting people with advanced illness, intense suffering and/or end of life, and their families. We will continue to work towards this.
The APCP Social Work Task Force group would like to thank Dr Sandra Martins Pereira for her contribution in the review of the ‘white papers’. We also thank Dr Karl W Bitschnau and Mrs Pam Firth (co-chairs of the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) Social Work Task Force) for their generous support.
Download free copies of the Portuguese and English documents from the EAPC website
‘Competências centrais para o serviço social em cuidados paliativos na Europa: white paper (‘Livro Branco’) da European Asociation for Palliative Care (EAPC. Parte 1, Parte 2)’. Download the Portuguese translations here. (This section of the EAPC website is open to all).
‘Core competencies for palliative care social work in Europe: an EAPC white paper (Part 1)’. European Journal of Palliative Care, 2014, 21(6): 300-305, Hughes S. et al.
‘Core competencies for palliative care social work in Europe: an EAPC White Paper –part 2’. European Journal of Palliative Care. 2015; 22(1): 38-44. Hughes S, Firth P, Oliviere D. These two papers in English can be downloaded here. (These documents are in the EAPC members’ area of the website and you will need to login or register as a member to download these).
More about the author…
Carla Reigada PhD, is a researcher at the ATLANTES Research Programme, Institute for Culture and Society, University of Navarra, Spain. She is a member of the Portuguese Association of Palliative Care (APCP) Social Work Task Force, the National Palliative Care Commission – Government of Portugal, and a steering group member of the EAPC Social Work Task Force.
- Follow ATLANTES Research Programme @ATLANTESPC
- Follow Carla @Carla_Reigada
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Find out more about translating EAPC documents into other languages
The EAPC encourages members to translate EAPC documents, such as charters or white papers, into other languages. Please find details of our Translation Policy and how to do this here.
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