Patch Academy’s Comprehensive Palliative Care Courses for 2027

Develop your knowledge. Strengthen your skills. Make a lasting difference in the lives of babies, children and families facing serious illness.

Providing palliative care to babies and children with serious, life-threatening or life-limiting conditions requires more than clinical knowledge. It calls for compassion, confidence, effective communication and an understanding of the complex physical, emotional, psychosocial and spiritual needs of children and their families.

Healthcare professionals have an important role to play in ensuring that children receive care that prioritises not only the treatment of their illness, but also their comfort, dignity, quality of life and the opportunity to experience meaningful moments with those they love.

Patch Academy invites healthcare professionals and others involved in the care of babies and children to invest in their professional and personal development in 2027 by enrolling in one of its two comprehensive online certificate courses:

Comprehensive Certificate Course in Paediatric Palliative Care – 9 months
Comprehensive Certificate Course in Perinatal Palliative Care – 4 months

Both courses offer an opportunity to develop specialised knowledge, acquire practical skills and become part of a growing community of professionals committed to improving palliative care for children and their families.

Comprehensive Certificate Course in Paediatric Palliative Care (9 months)

Children living with serious illnesses have unique and often complex needs. Their care extends far beyond managing physical symptoms and requires an approach that recognises the child as an individual, considers the needs of the entire family and supports them throughout the illness journey, including end-of-life care and bereavement.

Palliative care should be introduced early, alongside curative or life-prolonging treatment where appropriate. Yet many healthcare professionals have limited opportunities to develop the knowledge and confidence needed to provide this essential component of children’s healthcare.

Patch Academy’s comprehensive 9-month course aims to bridge this gap. Through a structured and engaging learning experience, participants explore the principles and practice of children’s palliative care, including pain and symptom management, effective communication, psychosocial and spiritual support, ethical decision-making, care planning and end-of-life care.

The course is relevant to doctors, nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech therapists, psychologists, counsellors, spiritual care providers, child life specialists, play therapists and other professionals involved in caring for children with serious illnesses.

Why enrol?

Develop a deeper understanding of the principles and practice of children’s palliative care.
Strengthen your ability to assess and manage complex pain and other distressing symptoms.
Build confidence in communicating with children and families about difficult and sensitive issues.
Learn how to support the emotional, social and spiritual needs of children and their families.
Develop skills in shared decision-making, ethical practice and advance care planning.
Understand the importance of family-centred care and supporting parents and siblings.
Improve your ability to provide compassionate care throughout the illness journey, including at the end of life.
Connect with other healthcare professionals who share a commitment to improving care for children.

The benefit: Participants gain knowledge and practical skills that can be applied directly in their everyday practice, helping them to provide more confident, informed and compassionate care. Ultimately, this translates into better support for children and families navigating some of life’s most challenging experiences.

Comprehensive Certificate Course in Perinatal Palliative Care (4 months)

A diagnosis of a serious or life-limiting condition during pregnancy can be devastating for expectant parents and their families. For some families, the diagnosis may be made before birth; for others, a life-limiting condition may only become apparent around the time of delivery or shortly afterwards.

These families need sensitive, informed and compassionate support from healthcare professionals who understand the unique challenges of this journey. Perinatal palliative care offers an approach that focuses on the quality of life of the baby and family, supporting informed decision-making, effective symptom management, opportunities for bonding and memory-making, and compassionate care throughout pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period.

Patch Academy’s comprehensive 4-month course equips healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills to support families facing a diagnosis of a serious or life-limiting condition during pregnancy or around the time of birth.

The course is particularly relevant to obstetricians and gynaecologists, paediatricians, neonatologists, doctors, nurses, midwives, sonographers, genetic counsellors, psychologists, social workers and other professionals involved in maternity, neonatal and family care.

Why enrol?

Understand the principles and philosophy of perinatal palliative care.
Develop confidence in supporting parents following a diagnosis of a life-limiting condition during pregnancy.
Strengthen communication skills when sharing complex or difficult news.
Understand the importance of shared decision-making and birth planning.
Explore approaches to symptom management and comfort care for babies.
Learn how to support bonding, memory-making and meaningful experiences for families.
Understand the psychosocial, emotional and spiritual needs of parents and extended families.
Develop skills in supporting families through pregnancy, birth, neonatal care, end-of-life care and bereavement.
Work more effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team.

The benefit: Participants develop the confidence and competence to support families through an intensely emotional and often unexpected journey. They learn how to provide care that respects parental choices, honours the baby’s life, supports meaningful experiences and ensures that families are never left to navigate this difficult time without compassionate professional support.

The 2027 course runs from 1 February to 31 May 2027 and offers 30 CMSA-accredited CPD points, including 5 Ethics points.

The course is fully online, making it accessible to healthcare professionals both in South Africa and internationally.

Course fee: R3,800. Partial bursaries are available.

More than a certificate: A learning experience that makes a difference

While professional development is an important motivation for enrolling in a comprehensive course, the impact of palliative care education often extends far beyond the acquisition of knowledge.

It challenges us to reflect on how we practise, how we communicate and how we respond to the needs of children and families. It encourages us to look beyond a diagnosis, recognise the person behind the illness and understand the profound difference that compassion, presence and good communication can make.

Previous participants have described the experience as both professionally enriching and personally transformative.

What previous participants say

N.D. – Paediatric Speech Therapist

“Thank you so much for this incredibly well-run course. I have thoroughly enjoyed it and feel like I have learnt a lot of information and skills that I can transfer into my everyday practice.

I have loved doing this course. I feel it has challenged me, taught me SO much and has also been a reminder that your compassion should never be dimmed by an environment or those around you. Being able to watch videos and listen to stories of families that have been through the most devastating experiences, has served as a reminder that we can always be doing more for our patients to ensure quality and not just quantity.”

I.L. – Doctor

“I believe in our profession we start out with a caring attitude, its foundational. But this course has built on that foundation and taken me along roads as interesting and varied as body language and what it says, heartbreaking videos of personal loss and bravery, theory in how to do this real and artful science so much better, and the poetry and suggestion of nuance which informs everything. In applying these new teachings a lot of soul will creep back into my medicine, I will grow as a human being and it will help to make a very sad time and space a privilege to share with the patients and families, in the hope of providing them the support they need.”

Be part of improving children’s palliative care in South Africa and beyond

There is an urgent need for more healthcare professionals with the knowledge, skills and confidence to provide quality palliative care to babies and children living with serious illnesses.

By investing in palliative care education, you are investing not only in your own professional development, but also in the lives of the children and families who depend on your care.

Whether you work in a hospital, clinic, maternity unit, neonatal service, community setting or private practice, these courses offer an opportunity to strengthen your contribution to compassionate, child- and family-centred care.

Make 2027 the year you take the next step in your palliative care journey.

Explore the courses and register

Comprehensive Certificate Course in Paediatric Palliative Care – 9 months

Find out more and register

Comprehensive Certificate Course in Perinatal Palliative Care – 1 February to 31 May 2027