A lot of children live with parents with serious illness and several thousand children lose a parent each year. There is a gap of knowledge on children as relatives, especially related to early interventions on a basic level. Therefore, the aim of the pre- study is to develop routines, methods, referral systems and to provide education prior to the research program “See Me – Talk to Me!” This prior to a program application to FAS in 2014. The first phase (See me), will be to identify the children whose parents are physically ill or unexpectedly dies. The second phase (Talk to me), will provide and evaluate the caring, information and support offered to the children. The third phase in the research program includes the assessment of who needs support on second and third level.

As part of the Jönköping County region's work for children as relatives has, within the framework of the Children's Dialogue Region Jönköping County, a clinical intervention See me, talk to me and listen to me been designed. The clinical intervention has been prepared in collaboration between the researchers and the staff at the oncology clinic's outpatients department at Ryhov hospital. The clinical intervention has been tested in a pilot study and parents and children have been interviewed regarding their experiences of how they have been treated and received information, advice and support when one of the parents has been cared for in the department.

The results from the interviews with the parents are published in European Journal of Oncology Nursing Parents’ perceptions of how nurses care for children as relatives of an ill

Patient- Experiences from an oncological outpatient department.

Project leader: Karin Enskär