PLEASE NOTE: THIS WORKSHOP HAS BEEN POSTPONTED TO
SATURDAY 15 MARCH 2025

When

Saturday 15 March 2025 from 08:30 – 15:30
We have a very full programme. The workshop will start promptly at 08:45 so please plan to arrive between 08h00 and 08h30 so as not to miss anything!

Venue

Conference Centre,  Stonefountain Terrace, 95 Klipfontein Road, Rondebosch, Cape Town 

Get Directions

Registration fee

R450 per person
Registration covers the workshop, lunch and refreshments.

Who should attend?

This workshop will focus on providing palliative care from the time of a diagnosis of a life-threatening or life-limiting condition of the fetus or the baby. We welcome anyone who may be involved in the care of a mother and her child during pregnancy, birth and post-natal period, including but not limited to:

  • Parents
  • Healthcare providers such as doctors, midwives, nurses, etc.
  • Social workers
  • Therapists
  • Genetic Counsellors
  • Clinical Geneticists
  • Funeral Directors and employees
  • Bereavement Doulas

Speakers /Panellists

Speakers, panellists and workshop facilitators will include:

  • Sr Tracy Rawlins
  • Dr Michelle Meiring
  • Mari Stevens
  • Dr Shetil Nana
  • Tracey Aitkin
  • Zeenat Parker
  • Fiona McLennan
  • Nicole Bell

CPD Points

The Workshop has been allocated 5 General and 1 Ethics Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points from UCT.
Please indicate on the registration form if you need CPD points and provide us with your HPCSA Registration number. 

Collaborating Organisations

Workshop Facilitators / Speakers / Panellists

Sr Tracy Rawlins
Education Manager at PatchSA

Tracy Rawlins is a qualified professional nurse, midwife and health educator. Her experience in caring for the terminally ill in her community laid the foundation for her qualification in adult palliative care but her heart and passion has always been in working with babies and children. She successfully completed her post grad diploma in Paediatric Palliative care medicine in 2017 cum laude. She is the Education and Training Manager at PatchSA and is an instructional designer and facilitator of the Patch Academy online courses.

Dr Michelle Meiring
Paediatrician

Dr Michelle Meiring is a Palliative Care Paediatrician who has worked in this field for 20 years. She is the founder and CEO of Paedspal and works 20 hours a week for the organisation. Michelle’s other job is to convene the Post-Graduate Diploma in Paediatric Palliative Care at the University of Cape Town. She is an accomplished speaker and has presented at several local and international conferences. She was also one of four editors of the latest edition of the Oxford Textbook on Palliative Care for Children. A long-standing child health and palliative care advocate since her “Paeds HIV-days”, Michelle is the immediate past chair and sits on the board of the national network for Children’s Palliative care known as PatchSA and has been involved at provincial and national levels in policy making in palliative care in South Africa.

Mari Stevens
Music Therapist

Mari Stevens is a registered music therapist (MA Music Therapy) from Cape Town. A diverse private therapy practise and NGO involvement offers her extensive experience in working with complex trauma, psychiatry, and special needs, working with both adult and paediatric clients. With a post graduate diploma in paediatric palliative medicine, Mari has been part of the psychotherapy team at Paedspal, a specialist paediatric palliative care organisation, since 2021. Along with the privilege of direct client work, Mari enjoys collaborating with other practitioners in teaching, presenting, and advocating around palliative care, mental health and psychotherapy services and have presented on both local and international platforms. Besides for enjoying family life with her husband and two busy boys, Mari is a performing cellist and music teacher and fitness enthusiast.

Dr Shetil Nana
Paediatrician

Dr Shetil Nana is a paediatrician and paediatric critical care consultant with over a decade of experience in both the public and private sectors. She holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Paediatric Palliative Care and currently works at Mowbray Maternity Hospital. She joined the Paedspal family in 2022 in a Locum capacity. She is passionate about expanding neonatal palliative care services and ensuring that babies and their families receive the best comprehensive and compassionate care. Outside of work, she enjoys baking and spending quality time with her labradors in the great outdoors.

Fiona McLennan
Aroma Therapist

Fiona trained in aromatherapy massage and reflexology and has been working as a complementary therapist ever since, believing that compassionate touch is very important to everyone, especially sick children, who often suffer painful medical procedures. She completed the Post-Graduate Diploma in Palliative Medicine in 2015 and has worked for Paedspal from 2016, offering massage to patients and their family members as well as counselling. She has trained in both end-of-life care and perinatal bereavement.

Draft Programme

Time

Topic

Presenter
8:45 Welcome and introductions
 09:00 Integration of a palliative care framework into perinatal and neonatal care within a SA context Tracy Rawlins
09:20 Case Study – A pregnancy journey Tracey Aitkin
9:40 Case Study – Born too soon: A preterm journey Dr Shetil Nana
10:00 Discussion of challenges experienced
10:20 TEA & COFFEE
10:45 Principles of perinatal and neonatal palliative care, including ethical considerations Dr Shetil Nana
11:30 Addressing the needs of parents and families along their journey Marie Stevens
12:15 Addressing the spiritual needs of babies and families Dr Michelle Meiring
Zeenat Parker
12:45 Discussion Group activity
13:00 LUNCH
13:30 Panel discussion
 Moderator: Dr Michelle Meiring
14:00 Crafting legacies of love: Exploring grief along the continuum of care and the significance of memory making Fiona McLennan
Nicole Bell
14:30 Bringing it all together: Reimagining the baby and families’ journeys Dr Shetil nana
Tracey Aitkin
15:10 – 15:30 Wrap up