Me first is an award-winning education and interactive, online training resource, that helps health and social care professionals build on their knowledge, skills and confidence in communicating with children and young people (CYP) and supports shared decision making. Me first has been developed over 8 years, with funding from NHS Health Education England, and is now part of the Great Ormond Street Hospital Learning Academy (GLA). All our training is co-produced and co-delivered with young people. Our training and resources support NICE guidelines (2021) for working with babies, children and young people.

Me first aims to:

– Promote the use of the Me first communication tools and approaches to support communication with children and young people.

– Increase health and social care professionals’ knowledge of the barriers and challenges to communicating with children and young people, build on their existing skills, and increase their confidence through Me first training.

– Collect and grow a hub of resources to share ideas and expertise in communicating with children and young people.

The Me First programme is open to both GOSH staff and external users.

For more information about Me first: https://www.mefirst.org.uk

This course provides practical resources and skills-based learning that bridges the gap between the theory of child and young people-centred communication and what happens in everyday practice. The course content can be applied to communication with: children and young people from 3 – 25 years of age with additional needs such as learning disabilities, communication, hearing and visual disabilities and can be applied across all areas of health and social care, including mental health.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course you will be able to:

  • Integrate understanding of and apply key principles of CYP- centred communication Me first fundamentals to case examples.
  • Grow and develop communication skills using the Me first Communication Model and learn about a variety of tips and resources.
  • Reflect on your communication with children, young people and carers, individually and/or on a service level.

Course Outline

The topics which will be covered in this course are:

  • Review of the Me first Fundamentals of child and young person communication.
  • Learn about the Me first Communication Model and have an opportunity to practise using it in scenarios.
  • How to engage and communicate with children and young people with communication, sensory and/or cognitive disabilities
  • Reflect on and work with our unconscious biases.
  • Exploring the resources available from Me first to facilitate communication and joint decision making.

For any questions about the course, please contact: info@mefirst.org.uk

GOSH staff (Free): CLICK HERE to enrol.

If this course/event is out of stock, this means it is currently fully booked. Please contact the course Instructor/s (details at the bottom of the course/event page), providing your full name and your preferred email address to register your interest. You will then be added to a waiting list and will be contacted if places/future intakes become available.