Introducing the Hospital Joy Toolkit at the Northern Study Day

The official CPD programme of the SoHPS Northern Study Day 2026 lists “The Hospital Joy Toolkit”, presented by Yuliia Barsukova, Smile Optimistic Studio CIC, in the late-morning presentation session.

The talk traced how the cards came to exist: six years beside a child in long-term cancer treatment, several attempts to turn that experience into a children’s book, and the decision to rebuild the material as a structured card format — shaped with parents and carers and reviewed by play specialists.

One structure for twenty-six feelings

Every card in the first set, for ages 4 to 6, follows the same pattern. It names the feeling and makes it ordinary to have. It offers the child a choice and one small action to do together. It gives a lower-demand version for the hours when a child has no strength to take part. And it ends with one line for the adult to keep.

Not just cards — a system of safe use

The second half of the talk set out what surrounds the cards on a ward: guidance for the adults who use them, clear role boundaries, safeguarding, and a plan for implementation. The Toolkit is an emotional communication resource. It is not a clinical or diagnostic tool, and it does not replace psychological support.

I came to share the Hospital Joy Toolkit, but left with a deeper respect for the knowledge, creativity and generosity of Health Play Specialists. Their discussions reinforced the importance of giving children time, choice and emotional support around healthcare experiences — and raised good questions about how new resources might fit alongside existing health play practice, and how careful evaluation and practitioner feedback could inform their use.

Thank you to the Society of Health Play Specialists for the invitation and for such a warm welcome.