Training of volunteers

The tasks and responsibilties will be introduced for newcomers by the local coordinator and by some experienced volunteers step-by-step, helping them to find their own ways and meens to the children’s world. The most important steps for the preparation are:

General information about most important rules in Hospitals, about goals, tasks and importance of volunteering work;

Three times visiting children in the company of experienced volunteers, to see and learn how they deal with them;

The first independent and individual session with children in presence of the local coordinator. The session will be analysed and evaluated by the coordinator. In case of good result the new volunteer may start regular visits together with a partner.

Volunteers meet regularly, in each month in order to exchange their experiences, enriching in this way their methods and entertaining capacities.
Workshops for volunteers are organized regularly when with the assistance of our life & business coach - Nóra Nacsa - the volunteers can explore their own social or problem solving skills and share their volunteering experiences too.

Swiss psychology training 2014

A project supported by the Swiss-Hungarian Cooperation Programme’s Twinning and Partnership Block Grant - Project nr TPPA/2013/03/22, entitled

Introducing the principles of family centered care to volunteers for their work with sick children in hospital

Implementation period: 01/01/2014-30/06/2014

The project concept is that the knowledge and experience of the two partners complements and reinforces each other and their common effort can bring positive synergies for children in hospitals. The Hungarian partner, Smiling Hospital Foundation will bring its 8-year experience of working with professional and voluntary performers in hospitals for entertainment, while the Swiss partner, Kind+Spital Association can contribute with its extensive knowledge on how these entertaining activities can be broadened and complemented by more serious, education, information activities targeted at both children and parents. Results of the project entail that volunteer helpers in children hospital will have a more professional set of skills they can use and will alleviate the burden on hospital staff, more information is given to children and parents on medical procedures and hospital stay, thus it can reduce stress and with the volunteers and performers a more relaxed environment can be created, and furthermore, children in Swiss or Hungarian hospitals will spend their time in a more relaxed environment with entertainments shaped to their needs.

The 2-days long conference program started with lectures about the rights of sick children, known as EACH CHARTER. Keynote speakers were Hanne Sieber from Basel and Zsuzsanna Kovács primary care paediatrist from Budapest.

Further lectures have been dekivered by
Barbara Stucki, Berne

FAMILIARIZATION WITH THE HOSPITAL

“Being prepared means less fear and better coping with a hospital stay”

Verena del Valle Mattsson, Lausanne

CONCEPT OF CHILD LIFE SPECIALISTS (or Hospital Play Specialists);

POSITIONS OF COMFORT, TREATMENT ROOM AND ENVIRONMENT;

IMPORTANCE OF PLAY;
Ruth Müller, Lenzburg

HOSPITAL PLAY BOX
Katrin Bachmann, Basel

THE “BELOP” PROGRAM (for parents and families of hospitalised children)
Agnes Hodi, Psychologist, Budapest

PREPARATION OF A TRAINING MANUAL

3 workshops have been organized, they resulted practical guidlines for children and their parents in the form of colouring booklets: