A little reminder that although the Professionals' Series has started (on Monday 3rd July) - you can still register and join in anytime.
Welcome to the inaugural Sands NZ & VCA Professionals' Series - four months of online learning about 15 different and important aspects of baby loss in Aotearoa NZ. The Series has been developed for anyone who interacts with, or supports, bereaved parents, families and whānau.

After offering this same kind of learning to midwifery students for the last three years, we are ready to extend this learning to pregnancy and birth professionals. The unique (and possibly the most valuable) aspect of this Professionals' Series are the discussion webinars in which bereaved parents talk about their precious babies, their experiences of loss and answer questions that you might have never had the opportunity to ask

Here are the details:

TOPICS (click on the month to read more information about each topic)

July: Baby Loss in Aotearoa NZ; Self-Care for Professionals Working with Baby Loss; Grief and Baby Loss; and, Caring for Māori Whānau

August: Models of Care; What Should I Say and Not Say? and, Memory-Making When a Baby Dies.*

September: Early Loss; Decision Making Following an Unexpected Diagnosis; Perinatal Hospice; and, Ending a Wanted Pregnancy.

October: Rainbow Inclusive Perinatal Bereavement Care; Fathers/Partners and Loss; When a Baby Dies in NICU; and, Pregnancy and Parenting After Loss.

* You'll see there are only three topics in August, that's not an error.

PRICING
You'll be able to register for each month separately or for the whole four months together. The Professionals' Series is being generously subsidised by Sands NZ so we can keep the cost to you at a reasonable level.

July to October $145 (inc GST)- all topics - register here

July only - $45 (inc GST) register here

August only - $35 (inc GST) register here

September only - $45 (inc GST) register here

October only - $45 (inc GST) register here

If you'd prefer to be invoiced, rather than pay by credit/debit card on Humanitix, please just get in touch and we can easily sort that ([email protected]) .

HOW DOES IT WORK?
You register and we'll send you a link to the online platform. There's a recorded presentation on each topic as well as resources, links and further information. Each topic will cover one to two hours of content, then we'll have some weekly discussion webinars as well. Not every topic will have a discussion webinar with bereaved whānau involved, the first two in July and the first in August will be slightly different. But don't worry, all the information about our discussion webinars is in the course. (You can also read more detailed information on the individual pages for each month).

You'll get a certificate for the content you've covered and whatever webinars you've been able to attend (they are not a compulsory part of the Professionals' Series, we understand that life can get in the way of best laid plans!)

TECHNOLOGY
The online learning management system used for the Professionals' Series is an easy to use, interactive platform that participants can hop on and off at their convenience. You'll be asked to set up a password when you first hop on.

Technology requirements are up-to-date browsers (such as Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Chrome or Safari) and either the latest version (or the immediately previous version) of an operating system (for example Windows 10 or 11).

If you are still using Windows 8 or Mac OX S 10.7 as your operating system or perhaps Windows Explorer or Netscape as your browser, you will not be able to play the videos on the course.



QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE
What if I only want to do a couple of months but there are topics in all four months I'd like to cover - can I just do the ones I am interested in?
Sorry but we're not able to do that. You'll need to choose the months you do want to attend or pay for four months and just do the topics you are interested in.

Can I still register for the four months but after the start date?
Yes, registrations will remain open throughout the four months (depending on numbers) so you can register in late July and catch up on the online content but you will have missed the July discussion webinars. The same goes for the following months - if you register in late August, you will have access to the July and August content but you will have missed the July and August discussion webinars.

Do I have to complete everything within the four months? What if life gets a bit crazy and I fall behind?
We've got you covered! The online content will be available until the end of November, so you have an extra month to catch up on any topics you've missed out on.

Will the discussion webinars with bereaved parents be recorded - I may not be able to make them all.
No, we don't record the discussion webinars - they are a live event.

I am away from July to October/I have another course from July to October - will you be offering this series again in 2024?
We hope so. Of course that depends on numbers but we're committed to improving the experience for bereaved whānau so it's very likely this will be a regular event.

Please email [email protected] if you have any questions at all