COVID-19 Resources

PCSWA has collated resources about COVID-19 to support social workers in the context of palliative care and care at the end of life and the social work role.

Australian Websites

Additional COVID-19 Related Australian Sites (Not Palliative Care Specific)

International Websites

Social Work Profession Related

Saying Goodbye
An animation and a downloadable booklet for children who have sadly experienced a family member die during the COVID-19 pandemic from Belfast Health and Social Trust

Australian Centre for Grief & Bereavement
Downloadable fact sheets on the following topics

  • Living in Uncertain Times
  • Supporting Children during the Coronavirus
  • Social Support and Bereavement during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak
  • Funeral Support and Physical Distancing

The Irish Hospice Foundation

Cruse Bereavement Care, UK
A range of topics on Coronavirus: dealing with bereavement and grief including

  • Grief and isolation
  • Funerals
  • Traumatic bereavement

Bereavement Network Europe
The Bereavement Network Europe is gathering the bereavement information and resources which have been developed by colleagues across Europe. We want to gather:

  • COVID-specific bereavement information and resources for bereaved people
  • Protocols or ways of working in these changed times to share with professional colleagues.

Books Beyond Words  
A range of free resources that can be downloaded to support people who struggle with words or reading. Developed to support people during the pandemic. Topics include:

  • When someone dies from Coronavirus
  • Good days and bad days during lockdown
  • When it’s not safe to stay at home
  • Jack plans ahead for coronavirus
  • Beating the virus.

Guidelines from Countries & Organizations relevant to the Social Work Role in Healthcare

British Association of Social Workers (BASW)

The Suffering of Isolated Patients and Families
Briefing Note on the psychological and social implications of physical isolation for patients and families during the coronavirus pandemic

‘A good death’ during the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK: a report on key findings and recommendations
Report on “what a good death looks like” for people across all faiths and for vulnerable groups. It examined how communities were already adapting to processes of dying, burial, funerals and bereavement during the pandemic, and responding to new government regulations

Palliative care network framework in response to COVID-19 emergency
Sets out the procedures for managing patients in the care of the various palliative care services and set out the most appropriate levels of protection for activities performed by professionals in the various settings.

The Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society (ANZICS) COVID-19 Guidelines
Guidelines provide a series of recommendations and suggestions to ensure continued high-quality clinical care in the setting of a pandemic.

Good Practices for Social Work COVID-19
From the National Palliative Care Commission of Portugal with the Social Work task-force of the Portuguese Palliative Care Association. Social workers are at the forefront along with many other professionals, monitoring and treating people with COVID-19 disease and their families.

A National Response to Pandemic-related Grief
A proposal by leaders in grief and bereavement from the VirtualHospice in Canada. Outlines a two-phased approach for the immediate implementation of initiatives to increase access to grief supports for the public; support frontline healthcare providers with their COVID-related work trauma and grief; and increase public understanding of grief, healthy coping strategies and resources.

Guidance for the Medical Social Work Profession Response to Covid 19
Irish Association of Social Workers.  Guidance document aims to support the professional response of Irish Medical Social Work Departments to the Covid19 pandemic.

Statement on Hospice and Palliative Care Social Work Practice In Times of Health Care Crisis
Social Work Hospice and Palliative Network (SWHPN)  has created a formal practice document that HACP-SWs can utilize as guidance from the field, with suggestions of ways they can use this document.

A Field Manual for Palliative Care in Humanitarian Crises
An easy to use guide for incorporating palliative care into international humanitarian aid operations of all sorts.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information for members
Australian Association of Social work (AASW). Information and guidelines for social workers working with clients in relation to the spread and impacts of COVID-19.

The Australian & New Zealand Society of Palliative Medicine Inc.
Guidance documents have been produced to support healthcare professionals in their understanding of COVID-19 context palliative care. 

Ethical Decision Making in the Face of Covid-19
Guidelines from the International Federation of Social Work

Guidance on Domestic Violence and Abuse in the context of end of life care in the COVID-19 pandemic
Managing DVA experienced by dying patients during the pandemic can be heightened with social isolation. Guideline from the UK.

Specific Phrases & Word Choices that Can Be Helpful When Dealing with COVID19
Serious Illness Conversations©

Working With Families Facing Undesired Outcomes During the COVID-19 Crisis |
A Tip Sheet by Jennifer Halpern, PhD, LMSW, APHSW-C

Digital Technology and Social Work
British Association of Social Workers (BASW)

Delivering Bad News COVID-19  
From the Irish Hospice Foundation:

Open Access Journals for COVID-19

The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM)
Open access journal articles

Journal of Pain & Symptom Management (JPSM)
Includes a range of articles on palliative care & COVID-19

Sage Journals
Free Medical, Social, and Behavioural Science Articles from SAGE Publishing

Jama Network
JAMA Network COVID-19 collection

American Psychological Society
A free collection includes relevant psychological research published across the APA Journals portfolio

Cochrane Collaboration
Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Cochrane resources and news

Campbell Collaboration
Campbell response to Covid-19 pandemic

Key articles relevant to social work practice in healthcare / palliative care contexts

Supporting adults bereaved through COVID-19: a rapid review of the impact of previous pandemics on grief and bereavement
Catriona R. Mayland, Andrew JE. Harding, Nancy Preston, Sheila Payne | Journal of Pain and Symptom Management  

Coronavirus Pandemic Calls for an Immediate Social Work Response
Heather A. Walter-McCabe  |  Social Work in Public Health, 35:3

The key role of palliative care in response to the COVID-19 tsunami of suffering
Lukas Radbruch, Felicia Marie Knaul, Liliana de Lima, Cornelis de Joncheere, Afsan Bhadelia  | the Lancet

Managing the supportive care needs of those affected by COVID-19
Bajwah, A. Wilcock, R. Towers, M. Costantini, C. Bausewein, S. T. Simon, E. Bendstrup, W. Prentice, M. J. Johnson, D. C. Currow, M. Kreuter, A. U. Wells, S. S. Birring, P. Edmonds, I. J. Higginson |  European Respiratory Journal

Grief During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Considerations for Palliative Care Providers
Cara L. Wallace, Stephanie P. Wladkowski, Allison Gibson, Patrick White  |  Journal of Pain and Symptom Management

International COVID-19 palliative care guidance for nursing homes leaves key themes unaddressed
Glissen, L, Pivodic, Unroe, K., L. Van den Block. | Journal of Pain and Symptom Management

Not Dying Alone — Modern Compassionate Care in the Covid-19 Pandemic
Glenn K. Wakam, John R. Montgomery, Ben E. Biesterveld and Craig S. Brown  |  The New England Journal of Medicine

Rapid De-Escalation and Triaging Patients in Community-Based Palliative Care
David L. Tran, Steve R. Lai, Ramy Y. Salah, Angela Y. Wong, Jill N. Bryon, Meghan C. McKenna, Yvonne K. Chan |  Journal of Pain and Symptom Management

The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of the evidence
Samantha K Brooks, Rebecca K Webster, Louise E Smith, Lisa Woodland, Prof Simon Wessely, Prof Neil Greenberg, Gideon James Rubin  | The Lancet

Alleviating suffering and upholding dignity in the midst of CoViD-19 response: A place for palliative care
Humanitarian Health Ethics; McGill University; McMaster University; Research for Health in Humanitarian Crisis 

What Should Palliative Care’s Response Be to the COVID-19 Pandemic?
Victoria D. Powell, Maria J. Silveira,  | Journal of Pain &  Symptom Management

Can social prescribing support the COVID-19 pandemic?
The Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine | University of Oxford

Pandemic palliative care: beyond ventilators and saving lives
Amit Arya MD, Sandy Buchman MD, Bruno Gagnon MD MSc, James Downar MDCM MHSc (Bioethics)  |  Early release, published at www.cmaj.ca

Managing mental health challenges faced by healthcare workers during covid-19 pandemic
Neil Greenberg and colleagues  | BMJ

Applying Palliative Care Principles to Communicate With Children About COVID-19
Meaghann S.Weaver & Lori Wiener  |  Journal of Pain and Symptom Management

COVID‐19: Emerging compassion, courage and resilience in the face of misinformation and adversity
Graeme D. Smith, Fowie Ng, William Ho Cheung |  Journal of Clinical Nursing

Palliating a Pandemic: “All Patients Must Be Cared For”
James Downar Dori Seccareccia  |  |  Journal of Pain and Symptom Management