 To promote the role of POONS in paediatric palliative Teenage Cancer Trust Multi-disciplinary Forum care and disseminate best practice in paediatric palliative care This multidisciplinary group working with the Teenage  To provide networking opportunities for members Cancer Trust (TCT) aims to raise the profile of the needs  To support members of and service provision for teenagers / young people with  To disseminate information cancer.  To educate members and others in the care of children and young people with cancer Aims  To work closely with PONF and others in the care of  To facilitate an annual national conference for children and young people with cancer. teenagers and young people (and their friends)  Bringing together of clinical expertise from many centres and disciplines. Supporting, developing and Paediatric Oncology Clinical Practice Group advising, through reflection on practice.  Influencing, through the TCT, the NICE guidelines for This group was established in June 2000 as part of the children and adolescents. Paediatric Oncology Nurses Forum (PONF) to try and  Providing information and education to national collaborate on projects relating to practice. The steering committee meets two or three times a year, groups on the needs of young people with cancer. and plays an active part in PONF conferences. We look at specific issues relating to clinical practice Childhood Cancer Research Nurses Group (CCRNG) throughout the UK and provide guidance, information and support to members of PONF. The group exists to support research nurses in the field of paediatric oncology both on a practical and professional Aims level by providing a network of contacts. This promotes  Continue to work collaboratively with the UKCCSG on liaison between hospitals and individuals and so provides a research projects means by which information can be shared and problems  To develop information and guidance of symptom regarding clinical trials can be aired. The group provides management. support and guidance for the new research nurses, and Paediatric Oncology aims to address aspects of professional role development, education and accountability. Paediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Nurses Special Nurses Forum Interest Group Aims (PONF) The group was established in the present format in  Practical and professional support February 1996 and is the national voice as paediatric  Communication between units and individuals specialist nurses working within bone marrow transplant.  Sharing of information and expertise We meet twice a year to work on national guidelines,  Exploration/discussion of nursing and ethical issues benchmark procedure, information booklets and audit. regarding research in children with cancer Our first national study day took place in March 2003.  To provide a point of contact for nursing and medical colleagues regarding the provision of research nurse Aims posts.  Production of national guidelines  Production of information booklets To find out more about PONF please contact  Audit Louise Soanes - [email protected]  Benchmarking  National education. Or go to our webpages in the Children and Young Peoples Zone on the RCH website (www.rcn.org.uk) (you will need to be a member of the RCN to access the zone). Conferences Chair: Louise Soanes Paediatric Oncology Nurses' Forum PONF is involved in many conferences such as the RCN FoP conference run jointly with other nurses working with Steering committee Children and Young People, SIOP, the International Karen Selwood - Liverpool This leaflet has been produced to outline the activities Paediatric Haematology and Oncology Update Meeting and Angela Houlston - Oxford and organisation of PONF. of course the PONF conference. Michelle Dannatt – Royal Marsden Kate Pye - Bristol PONF Bulletin Rachel Coyne - Cambridge PONF was formed in 1983 by nurses working in paediatric Is PONF’s newsletter and is published 3 times a year. Any Amanda Lefebvre - Cambridge oncology who recognised the need for mutual support contributions from Link-members would be hugely and sharing knowledge and experiences, in a rapidly welcome and this is an excellent way of sharing Paediatric Oncology Nurse Education Group developing speciality, PONF now has over 2000 members. practice/ideas and asking questions to over 2,000 paediatric oncology nurses for free! The Group has been running for over 10 years and PONF is one of the groups within the RCN Children/Young includes academics, lecturer practitioners and practice People’s Field of Practice (C/YP FoP). These groups are Congress educators involved in paediatric oncology. Our purpose aided by the Paediatric Nurse Advisor, Fiona Smith, who This is the RCN annual congress where decisions on is to share our education programmes in order to learn keeps in touch with the work of all the Forums and national policy, Trade Union issues and the democratic from best practice and maintain the parity and equity Specialist Groups working within the C/YP FoP, and also issues of the RCN are discussed and decided. This is an of the programmes. acts as a link between these groups and the excellent chance to see the political workings of the RCN. work/initiatives of Regional, Country, UK, European and Two PONF members can attend each day (one funded by Aims International groups regarding children’s health and the RCN) and we encourage Link-members to attend, the  Ensure all members are fully informed of current welfare. We also have a Forum Organiser at the RCN. C/YP FoP are a well organised and friendly bunch so first courses/training time Congress goers are well looked after.  To work with other groups to develop new PONF is funded partly through the RCN and partly from initiatives grants/donations from reputable drug companies. All Aims  To identify projects for new ways of working. accounts are audited by the RCN and regular statements We aim to: are available to the Steering Group (and membership on  meet the needs of the Forum membership for Paediatric Oncology Outreach Nurse Specialists request). communication, information and professional Group (POONS) development PONF’s activities are overseen by the Steering Group.  provide a range of activities to meet the diverse needs The POONS Group has been running for over 13 years of members and is composed of specialist nurses providing outreach Names of SG  work within the field of practice for children and services for children and young people diagnosed with young people in pursuit of strategic objectives cancer, from the point of diagnosis through to  raise the profile of children and young people with palliative and terminal care if required. Link-member cancer on the national and local cancer agenda POONS are based at either a regional UKCCSG Each regional UKCCSG centre has two link-members.  influence the development of service guidance for paediatric oncology centre or a paediatric shared care Link-members are expected to be active PONF members children and young people with cancer centre. supporting PONF’s work, participating in meetings and  involve users in policy and practice development in The Group has a national chair and secretary who are feeding back to PONF’s membership. The key purpose of the specialty normally elected for a four-year term. Because the this role is to ensure that nurses working in regional  maintain, develop and strengthen interprofessional group has grown so large, it has now been divided into centres and shared care units are kept up to date with collaboration four regional groups, which meet twice a year. The PONF’s activities and that local membership  develop nursing practice across the breadth of the national group meets annually in London in December. needs/interests are reflected in PONF’s work. specialty Each regional group has a chair who attends the annual  establish international links with other paediatric core group meeting. Working Parties oncology nursing groups. There are a number of these, some looking at PONF work Aims alone and others are in conjunction with UKCCSG Tumour  To promote the role of POONS nationally and Groups. Places on UKCCSG working parties and internationally to paediatric healthcare volunteers for other work are again advertised at Link- professionals, social workers, educationalists and members’ meetings and in Bulletin. voluntary groups