Introduction This presentation is being provided for staff who may be starting a veteran parent program to support FICare The narrative on the slide notes is a guide to help you understand the content of the slides

Supporting Veteran Parents in committees 2

Veteran parent involvement Educate Clinicians Parental experience & perspective Sit on hospital committees to provide valuable input and recommendations from the family perspective Research For nursing education: Provide snap shot of a parent NICU experience, what works, what could work better Environmental support: Unit policies, space

Supporting veteran parents through readiness: role of leadership Readiness of your unit Engage leadership Engage and assign unit “Champions” Ask questions to assess climate Follow hospital guidelines Promote the benefits of the role for staff and parents internally Provide a formal structure Do not Assume your unit is ready Readiness: Is your unit ready to include Veteran Parents?

Key parent engagement strategies Provide a formal structure -steering committee and workgroups that are active, responsive & integrated -parent lead in each group Build positive relationships -staff and parents Provide a choice of feedback mechanisms Provide some financial compensation -i.e. stipend or parking reimbursement

Support veteran parents as advisors on committees Include more than one parent on committee if possible Designate a staff liaison Provide materials in advance Actively look for opportunities to engage Alert them of cancellations and meeting room changes Be transparent & close the loop

Supporting veteran parents as faculty Work with veteran parents on presentations; provide feedback before and after Present with veteran parents Attend presentations and talks Encourage other staff to attend presentations and talks Be aware of the time commitment involved Be aware of snowball effect and over-extending parents Be aware of readiness, triggers, reliving experiences

Supporting veteran parents with remote initiatives Give feedback via email and telephone Track off site hours Give recognition and encouragement Provide periodic check-ins Honor the work by using it Share the final result; how it impacted families and staff Need to feel valued

Supporting veteran parents through attending events Important for staff to attend events that you are involved, talks, celebrations to support veteran parents, gives momentum , builds the team , creates a bridge

Supporting veteran parents: Top requests from veteran parents everywhere Please be respectful of my time Please don’t ask me to do ward clerk duties Please tell me ahead of time if a meeting has been cancelled Please understand “coming back” is a huge emotional risk for me Please invite me in at the very beginning to translate the idea into practice Please create a specific role for me in the process Please let me use my professional skills and strengths to help you Please give me a formal structure to follow Please provide me with one “go to” staff member for support & feedback Please be flexible in case my situation changes at home Please listen to my new ideas and help me overcome the obstacles Please pay for my parking (and expenses when possible) Please remember my name

“Implementing Family Integrated Care in the NICU: educating nurses” “Implementing Family Integrated Care in the NICU: A Parent Education and Support Program” 2013 • Vol. 13, (2) “Implementing Family-Integrated Care in the NICU: Engaging Veteran Parents in Program Design and Delivery” 2013 • Vol. 13, (4) “Implementing Family Integrated Care in the NICU: educating nurses” 2013 • Vol.13, (6) papers