Are There Sheep in Heaven? — The Social Worker, the dying Child &; his Family

There is no more emotionally searing situation for those in the healing and helping professions than a diagnosis of fatal illness in the child, with death the inevitable outcome. Medical and nursing staffs of hospitals are deeply committed to preserving life for the child, and with advances in medical science, every effort is made to ward off the threatening illness, and achieve increased recession, in the continuing hope that some cure may be found. In this battle for life, the emotional needs of the child himself too often have been denied, overlooked or not considered as part of the total caring programme. It is only more recently that the response and adaptation of the child himself to a life threatening illness are being recognised as requiring the same consideration and skill which is given to the management of the disease.