The BNPCC Hub

New National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) grant opportunity:

A Targeted Call for Research (TCR) is a one-time request for grant applications designed to stimulate research in a particular area that will benefit the health of Australians or address a specific health issue. This TCR aims to accelerate research that transforms the diagnosis, care and therapeutic landscape for children with dementia and their families.

The proposed objectives of this grant opportunity are to:

• Develop rapid diagnostic pathways to improve screening and diagnosis. This includes improving clinician awareness, creating standardised protocols, and enabling timely access to treatment and support through rapid diagnostic approaches.
• Design and evaluate evidence-based multidisciplinary care frameworks for children diagnosed with dementia. This should include rehabilitation therapies, symptom management strategies for pain, sleep, communication, mobility and behavioural issues, as well as integrated palliative care approaches. Education for healthcare professionals and carers on managing complex symptoms should also be considered.
• Advance therapeutic developmentand health system readiness through translational research that will uncover disease mechanisms and identify novel therapeutic targets. This should also include building capacity in the healthcare sector to increase access to disease modifying treatments for affected children. The research should also address systemic barriers such as education, referral pathways and care coordination with the aim to develop evidence-based guidelines to standardise and reduce variation in care.
• Improve psychosocial and family support by developing and testing interventions that address the mental health, grief and wellbeing of families and carers. Research should focus on scalable models for psychological support and care coordination to reduce caregiver burden and strengthen family resilience.

See https://www.grants.gov.au/Go/Show?GoUuid=f0036c4b-600e-4b4d-8bb9-de234b721ac6 for more information

[From CarerHelp]

Resources

Carer Information Kits and Rural Carer Kits back in stock! These kits provide core information to prepare families for end of life caring.

Order your Kits now at Order resources - Resources

We are also delighted to share our new ‘Caring in Aged Care Homes’ page and resources with you. Please take some time to explore these resources as they will help families who are considering transitioning to an Aged Care Home.

Free online sessions

We are also offering free online sessions for families caring for someone nearing the end of life. Led by experienced health professionals, these sessions cover a range of topics and are designed to meet carers where they are on their journey. Carers can find out more and self-register here.

Upcoming dates include:

Preparing for caring as illness advances

• April 21 at 11am
• May 12 at 11am

Preparing for the last weeks

• April 21 at 1pm
• May 12 at 1pm

Living beyond loss: Finding your way through grief

• April 28 at 2pm
• May 26 at 2pm

[from palliAGED]

The palliAGED Introduction Modules have been co-designed with industry and re-aligned to the strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards. The refreshed modules now also consider all aged care settings, the roles of the interprofessional care team including family and carers, and present interactive 10-minute learning activities on a range of topics that connect to practice.

What’s new?

• Same trusted content, but with more practical tips and evidence-based resources
• Realistic scenarios for Support at Home and Residential Aged Care
• Consideration for cultural safety, role clarity, and self-care embedded throughout

Easy access via the palliAGED website, no cost, and a certificate of completion once you are done.

Explore modules: https://www.palliaged.com.au/Supporting-Services/palliAGED-Products/palliAGED-Introduction-Modules

[From Quality of Care Collaborative Australia (QuoCCA)]

As a health care professional working in the context of paediatric palliative care in Australia or New Zealand - your voice matters!

So, if you could ask a pioneer in paediatric palliative care one question about their experiences, what would you ask?

To respond, please undertake a brief survey as part of the research project Honouring the Past and Looking to the Future of Paediatric Palliative Care (PPC) in Australia: Stories of Pioneers.

In joining the conversation:

• Share your ‘one question’ (or perhaps you have more than one!)
• Leave your details if you’d like to hear the outcome of this project
• Your involvement will take around 20 minutes

After the survey closes, we will –

• Gather your questions
• Use these to inform the interview guide for pioneers in PPC
• Interview pioneers in PPC in Australia and New Zealand

The project will culminate in a book of pioneer narratives designed to create intergenerational learning between pioneers, current and future PPC practitioners. Most importantly, the wisdom of pioneers will continue to shape compassionate care for children and families. More information about the study is available in the attached Participant Information Statement.

Take the survey now via this link: https://qsurvey.qut.edu.au/jfe/form/SV_2m0mPWEjbhw7x0G.

The survey closes by Friday 17 April 2026.

This project is being led by Principal Investigator Dr Leigh Donovan. For any queries, please contact leigh@collaboraide.com

Please share across your networks to help understand what it is you wish to ask your pioneer PPC colleagues!

New exhibition at the State Library Queensland looks at Death

Free exhibition
Until 23 August 2026

9am – 5pm Monday to Friday
10am – 5pm Saturday and Sunday

slq Gallery, level 2

[From website]

Death is a universal experience. It will come to us all. Yet the way we confront, discuss, experience and ultimately reckon with death, and the realities of dying, varies enormously. Culturally diverse traditions and practices around death offer unique insights into how communities around the world honour and mourn their loved ones, shaping vastly different experiences and understandings of life’s final chapter.

Throughout the 20th century, death became a quiet taboo; something rarely spoken of, despite touching every life. Positioned at the powerful intersection of history, art and emotion, Dearly Departed encourages audiences to reflect on what it means to live well, die well and honour those who came before us. It reframes death not as an ending, but as a profound and enduring part of Queensland’s living story.

Innovative, accessible, and deeply human, Dearly Departed: death in life invites visitors into a bold exploration of mortality across Queensland’s past, present and future. Through rich historical insight, evocative artistic interpretation and interactive design, the exhibition sparks meaningful conversation about life, death and the memories we hold.

Drawing on the State Library’s rich collections of objects and stories, the exhibition explores how social, cultural, spiritual, historical and political forces have shaped Queenslanders’ attitudes to death and dying – then and now.

Join us as we rediscover how confronting death helps us better understand life itself.

Content note

This exhibition features images, videos, and objects associated with death and dying. These can evoke emotions, memories, or personal reflections. Visitors are encouraged to move through the space at their own pace and to take breaks whenever needed. This exhibition contains photographs, videos and recordings of people who have since passed, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

For more information visit the SLQ Dearly Departed webpage: https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/dearlydeparted

[Press release from Palliative Care Australia]

Younger Australians with life-limiting illness are being left without the basic support they need to die at home, with thousands each year missing out on vital support to help them stay out of hospital safely.

Palliative Care Australia (PCA), together with Parliamentary Friends of Palliative Care co-convenors Senator Kerrynne Liddle and Senator Raff Ciccone, today gathered advocates, clinicians and peak bodies from across the country at Parliament House to highlight the issue and call for urgent, coordinated reform.

PCA CEO Camilla Rowland said age should not determine the level of care and support someone receives at the end of life.

“People under 65 are falling between the cracks of the NDIS, aged care and health systems,” Ms Rowland said. “If people don’t qualify for the NDIS or aged care systems, there is no clear pathway to access basic support at home, and people are left navigating complex processes at the most vulnerable time in their lives.”

A keynote address from Fiona Hassmann of the Peace of Mind Foundation brought the human impact into sharp focus, drawing on her lived experience supporting her partner through terminal illness and now working with families facing similar challenges.

“There is no system built for people under 65 who are dying… the safety net is not a net at all, it is a series of gaps,” Ms Hassmann said.Her address highlighted how, when supports do align across disability, health and palliative care, people can die at home with dignity, but for most families this remains the exception rather than the norm.

PCA Chair Dr Peter Allcroft said a significant cohort of Australians are missing out on essential support. “This is not a marginal issue. It is a systemic failure that is causing real harm to individuals and families,” Dr Allcroft said.

“Each year, thousands of Australians with advanced life-limiting illness go without the practical support they need, like personal care and help at home – support that is fundamental to dignity and quality of life.”

PCA estimates that up to 10,000 Australians under 65 with advanced life-limiting illness, including children and adolescents (and people in rural and remote locations), are unable to access the functional support required to remain safely at home.

Without this support, many face extended hospital stays or are forced into early entry to residential care, outcomes that are distressing for individuals and families, and place additional pressure on the health system. Speakers from across the sector, including lived experience, clinical care and national peak bodies, highlighted ongoing challenges including delays in accessing support, inconsistent NDIS decisions, and confusion about which system is responsible for care.

The group is calling for coordinated national action, including:

• A clear commitment by all governments that filling this service gap is a priority, with national leadership from the Australian Government
• Jointly funded trials across multiple locations to test the size and support needs of this cohort
• Better coordination between disability and palliative care services, with clearer roles and responsibilities across systems
• Faster and more flexible access to support for people at a very challenging time.

Participants also reinforced the need for this issue to be prioritised in an updated National Palliative Care Strategy Implementation Plan.

“This is about ensuring people can die with dignity, in the place of their choosing, with the support they need,” Ms Rowland said. “For too many younger Australians, that is not currently possible.”

[From CPCRE]

The CPCRE Lunch & Learn Education for April:

"Research for Beginners: Generating research ideas, formulating a research question, how to do a great literature search"

Thursday 23 April 2026
12.00 - 13:00 hours (Queensland time)

To be presented by Professor Phillip Good, Clinical Research Program Leader, CPCRE; Director of Palliative Care, St Vincent's Private Hospital Brisbane.

The CPCRE Research for Beginners online session aims:

• To promote the value and importance of palliative care research,
• To contribute to the development of palliative care researchers in Queensland, to enable them to build high quality research studies that will add to the body of evidence and knowledge for palliative care practice.

Who should register?

• Health professionals of all disciplines who have an interest in undertaking research particularly in palliative or end of life care.
• Clinicians of all disciplines working in any health setting are encouraged to register and attend.
• Targeted toward knowledge level of Medical Officers, Senior Nurses and Allied Health Professionals.
• Health students of any discipline are welcome to register.

REGISTER HERE for this free online education session

[From Karuna]

We would like to share the sad news that Venerable Tsultrim will be leaving Karuna, with her final day being Wednesday 15 April.

Over the past almost six and a half years, Tsultrim has supported hundreds of patients, carers and family members during some of the most challenging times in their lives.

She has led and delivered countless community workshops and has provided guidance and support to many community organisations and hospitals working in the palliative and end of life sectors. Tsultrim also led our ‘What About Death!?’ podcast to help build death literacy in the broader community.

As Karuna’s designated SPC (Spiritual Program Co-ordinator) through our affiliation with FPMT, Tsultrim has represented Karuna both locally and internationally. As a Buddhist nun, she has also been a guiding force for Karuna as a Buddhist based organisation.

Although Tsultrim will be leaving Karuna, we remain committed to maintaining strong connections to our Buddhist foundations through FPMT and FPMT Australia, Venerable Gonpo our Spiritual Care Practitioner, and our connections to our fellow FPMT organisations across Australia.

At Karuna, Tsultrim has shaped the way many of us approach our work, particularly in how we hold compassion, reflection and care at the centre of everything we do. Externally, she has been a trusted and deeply respected figure for patients, families, carers, community partners and stakeholders, many of whom have come to associate Karuna with the warmth, safety and insight she consistently brought to her work.

On behalf of everyone, we would like to sincerely thank Tsultrim for her years of dedication and the profound impact she has had on our community and our organisation.

This full-day retreat is designed specifically for health professionals and will be held on Sunday 24 May, 9:00am–5:00pm at Kondalilla Falls Eco Resort in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.

Program Overview

This professional development day is designed for health professionals and focuses on clinician wellbeing, emotional resilience, reflective practice, and the gut–brain axis.

The program integrates evidence-informed educational sessions with facilitated reflective practice and supervised experiential learning. It aims to support sustainable clinical practice, particularly for clinicians working in complex and emotionally demanding environments.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Recognise factors contributing to clinician stress and emotional regulation
• Identify practical strategies to support resilience and self-regulation in clinical practice
• Describe key concepts relating to the gut–brain axis and microbiome
• Understand the physiological principles, potential benefits, limitations, and contraindications of breathwork
• Engage in reflective practice to support professional sustainability and self-awareness

Identify practical strategies applicable to personal wellbeing and professional contexts

Investment: $300

You’ll step away from the pace of everyday life into a peaceful bush setting and reconnect with yourself and like-minded colleagues.

The day includes:

• Strategies for managing stress, with a focus on emotional resilience and regulation – with Wellness Coach Dean King
• Reflective practice – with Tsultrim - Buddhist Nun
• A practical session on gut health and the microbiome – with Dietitian Lydia Sutakowsky
• Guided breathwork – with Breathwork Coach Dane Whakataka
• Nourishing food and time to connect

Spaces are limited- to book go to www.nourishedclinician.com