About the Connect, Pause and Reflect project

Overview and goals

Connect, Pause and Reflect began as a four‑year co‑design research project with paediatric clinicians across New South Wales. Through interviews and workshops, the team explored clinicians’ experiences—what challenges them, how they make a difference and what sustains them. A series of twenty-four individual interviews and sixteen group workshops were conducted between 2022 and 2024. The resources within this toolkit were created, tested and refined through that process.

Aims of the project

explore clinicians’ experiences managing children requiring complex care
understand the struggle and impacts on clinicians’ wellbeing when managing patients with complexity
explore how clinicians feel they can make a difference
identify clinicians' reflections on how they find purpose and meaning.

Focus of the project

work together with clinicians to listen to their experience and truly hear them
find ways through creative tools and reflective practice to make the journey a little easier for clinicians in their caring.

Who it's for

Clinicians across disciplines and career stages who want to connect with peers, reflect on practice and build sustaining habits.

Our hope is that the Connect, Pause and Reflect resources are helpful and may encourage clinicians to pause, reflect and feel encouraged to face challenges with renewed vigour, resilience and insight. We particularly hope trainees and young clinicians may be better equipped than their predecessors for whom the concepts of Connect, Pause and Reflect were less pronounced in their training.

Contributors

Steering group

Professor Annie Bye
Paediatric Neurologist
Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick

Professor Kenneth Nunn
Child and Family Psychiatrist
The Children's Hospital at Westmead

Fleur Le Marne
Epilepsy Intervention and Evaluation Coordinator
Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick

Suzanne Nevin
Post-doctoral researcher
University of New South Wales

Erin Beavis
Clinical Nurse Consultant
Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick

Rachel McLoughlin
Physiotherapist MAPA and Pastoral Supervisor
Australian Association of Supervision

Dr Rani Sachdev
Clinical Geneticist
Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick

Dr Emma Palmer
Clinical Geneticist
Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick

Rebecca MacIntosh
Genetic Counsellor
Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick

Advisory group

Regional Paediatricians

A/Prof Elizabeth Cotterell
Dr Susie Piper
Dr David Rogers
Dr Devika Wijetilaka

Metropolitan Paediatricians

Dr Elizabeth Argent
Dr Jacqueline Dalby-Payne
Dr Katrina Doyle
Dr Christopher Elliot
Dr Joanne Ging
Dr Christine Lau
Dr Rob Slade
Dr Anna van Beek
Dr Carola Wittekind

Staff Specialists

A/Prof Kaustuv Bhattacharya
Dr Erica Jacobson
Dr Michelle Lorentzos
Dr Hugh McCarthy
Dr Shekeeb Mohammad
Dr Sekhar Pillai
Dr Hugo Sampaio
Dr Vanessa Sarkozy

Nursing and Allied Health

Ruth Evans
Carolyn Shalhoub
Kylie Stark

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the following for their contribution to the resources:

Dr Lauren Adorni-Braccesi
Dr Dimitra Jaimie Aslanidis
Dr Michael Brydon (OAM)
Dr David Carr
Dr Karly Casamento
Professor Richard Cohn (AM)
Dr Eleanor Cook
Dr James Dowler
Dr Timothy Ford
Dr Noel Friesen
Dr Cuila Gibson
Dr Stephanie Greeff
Dr Alexander Hawkes
Emeritus Professor Richard Henry (AM)
Dr Mayakaduwe Gayathri Karunanayake
Ms Lynnette Little
Dr Noelia Nunez Martinez
Dr Andrea Meehan
Dr Ruvi Christina Samarasekera
Dr Claire Smyth
Dr Lorraine Vo
Dr Richard Webster

We acknowledge the following clinicians for their ongoing contribution and facilitation:

Dr Nichola Concannon
Dr Lydia Garside
Dr Micah Vincent

We would like to acknowledge the patients and families with whom we have shared the journey and who have taught us so much and the many clinicians who have contributed their time and passion in creating this resource.

We would like to sincerely thank the Manildra Group and the Nell and Herman Slade Trust for their unwavering support of this important work through philanthropic funding.

We are indebted to Loreto Kirribilli for their generous provision of the Spiritus Building for running reflective sessions and Brisbane Catholic Education for travel funding and supporting the contribution of facilitator, Rachel McLoughlin.

We are extremely grateful to Kris Messara, Anne Ward and Kerrie Hannan for their ongoing dedication and voluntary support of reflective sessions.

Research publications

Creating and evaluating Connect, Pause and Reflect

Nevin, S. M., Le Marne, F. A., Beavis, E., Macintosh, R., Palmer, E. E., Sachdev, R., Nunn, K., Bye, A., & ClinEquip Advisory Group. (2024). Psychosocial experiences of clinicians providing care for children with severe neurological impairment. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 66(12), 1622–1631. https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.15987

Nevin, S. M., Le Marne, F. A., Kelada, L., Wakefield, C. E., Beavis, E., Macintosh, R., Palmer, E. E., McLoughlin, R., ClinEquip Advisory Group., Sachdev, R., Nunn, K., & Bye, A. (2026). Connect, pause and reflect: Multidisciplinary clinicians’ shared challenges and sustaining strategies caring for children with severe neurological impairment. European Journal of Paediatric Neurology, 60, 15–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpn.2025.10.006

Nevin, S. M., Le Marne, F. A., Beavis, E., Macintosh, R., Palmer, E. E., Sachdev, R., Nunn, K., Bye, A., & ClinEquip Advisory Group. (in press). Connect, pause and reflect: Evaluating a co-designed toolkit to empower multidisciplinary clinicians caring for children with severe neurological impairment. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology.

Nevin, S. M., Le Marne, F. A., Beavis, E., Macintosh, R., Palmer, E. E., Sachdev, R., Nunn, K., & Bye, A. Exploring clinician perspectives on local implementation of “Connect, Pause and Reflect” sessions. Submitted to Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, December 2025.

Navigating complex care

Palmer, E. E., Sachdev, R., Beavis, E., Macintosh, R., Le Marne, F.A., Nevin, S.M., Bye, A. M., & Nunn, K. (2022). Hope in the uncertainties and certainty for parents of children with rare neurological disorders: Part I (of 3): Uncertainty. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 58(10), 1718–1721. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpc.16165

Nevin, S. M., Beavis, E., Macintosh, R., Palmer, E. E., Sachdev, R., Le Marne, F.A., Bye, A. M., & Nunn, K. (2022). Hope in the uncertainties and certainty for parents of children with rare neurological disorders: Part 2 (of 3): Certainty. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 58(10), 1722–1725. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpc.16202

Bye, A. M. E., Le Marne, F. A., Beavis, E., Macintosh, R., Nevin, S.M., Palmer, E. E., Sachdev, R., & Nunn, K. (2022). Hope in the uncertainties and certainty for parents of children with rare neurological disorders: Part 3 (of 3): Hope. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 58(10), 1726–1728. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpc.16187

Support and help

If you need support and help to navigate the many complexities and challenges in your role or any of the topics has brought up anything emotionally distressing for you, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 for 24-hour counselling and crisis support. You might also consider contacting your local support pathways within your organisation.

General disclaimer

Personal reflections and opinions expressed within this publication represent the individual experiences of participating clinicians and may not reflect the views of their respective employers. While the content within the publication has been presented with all due care, the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network does not warrant or represent that the content is free from errors or omission. The content is made available on the understanding that the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network and its employees and agents shall have no liability (including liability by reason of negligence) to the users for any loss, damage, cost or expense incurred or arising by reason of any person using or relying on the content and whether caused by reason of any error, negligent act, omission or misrepresentation in the content or otherwise.