Webinar Overview: Bereavement Care in a Coronial Setting

How well do you understand families' current or past experiences of the systems they come in contact with following an unexpected or unexplained death reported to the Coroner? How confident would you be in helping someone to navigate an unfamiliar, confusing, and often disempowering medico-legal system at a time of extreme distress, or delving back into the ‘system’ to help find information, answers and meaning that a family desperately needs? Would you like to develop your skills and knowledge to better understand people’s unique experiences, facilitate access to accurate information where available, provide informed choices where possible, and offer targeted, timely and effective support? All unexpected or unexplained deaths are reported to the Coroner which sets in motion a multi-faceted and often misunderstood medico-legal process of inquiry into the who, how, where, when and why of the death. The effects on grief may be exacerbated or alleviated depending on the bereaved person’s experience of the systems with which they are forced to interact due to the nature or circumstances of the death. This webinar will introduce a model of practice in a Coronial and Forensic Medicine setting that can be adapted and applied to help you to develop your skills and knowledge to better understand people’s unique experiences and more confidently and effectively respond to their needs relating to sudden bereavement.

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this webinar, participants should be able to:

• Practice principles in relation to viewings, disaster victim response, and supported access to sensitive information and Coronial documents (e.g. suicide notes, autopsy results, scene photos, post mortem reports).
• Knowledge and skills in the application of the principles of ‘informed choice’, dignity and respect for deceased persons, and critique of ‘systemic paternalism’, within a non-pathologising practice framework.
• Approaches, beyond self-care, to sustainable practice in rewarding but challenging areas of work.
• To reflect on your own practice to increase confidence and effectiveness in advocacy and influencing systemic change to improve experiences and outcomes for those who encounter the Coronial system.
• To recognise and respond to: the prevalent issues, risks and impacts of bereavement; and the preventative, early intervention, health promotion, and public health opportunities of bereavement care in a Coronial setting.

Presenter Bio: Danny Nugus