The health and wellbeing of children and young people and their right to the best possible health lies at the heart of our work.
All children and young people have rights, no matter who they are, where they live, or what they believe in. Our work underpins Article 24 of the UNCRC that states that every child has the right to the best possible health and to facilities for the treatment of illness and rehabilitation of health. This health right is also protected through the European Association for Children in Hospital (EACH) Charter Article 7. All our work strives to ensure that no child is deprived of his/her right of access to such healthcare services. We work in partnership with children and young people, their parents, carers and health professionals so that together we can achieve the best possible health for children, young people and their families. You can ask us for support, guidance or information by:
- Telephoning Rhianne Forrest on 0131 553 6553.
- Emailing enquiries@childrenshealthscotland.org.
- Face to face (where possible). Give us a call on 0131 553 6553 to find out more.
Children and Young People Health Rights Services
We can help in the following ways…..
It can be a worrying time when a child or young person is unwell, and it is not always easy to find the information you need. We can help by:
- Providing information and resources to help children and young people learn about their health rights to help with decisions about their treatment and care, such as: My Health | Play and Information Packs to support vulnerable families in the community which we launched last year.
- Helping children and young people to cope with illness or a long-term condition.
- Listening to you; providing support and information when you need it the most.
- Helping you find the right services for you.
- Providing information about your health rights and responsibilities.
We have a range of FREE resources for parents and carers which can help prepare children for health treatments. These include:
We can offer online or 1:1 sessions in primary and secondary school settings that focus on health and wellbeing issues and promoting skills and coping strategies.
Children learn through play. With offer popular health-related play workshops about going to hospital or visiting the dentist, and we can help children to prepare for visits or treatments in the future, whether they are planned or unexpected. This kind of play also helps them to process past experiences and allows observant teachers, play workers or parents to discover if a child has unresolved issues with past medical or dental experiences. We can offer in-person and online play workshops and can deliver these with schools and community groups. More than just a chance to have fun, play is serious business when it comes to children’s health and health-related play can help children physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Poor dental health impacts not just on health of a child or young person but also their wellbeing and that of their family. Visiting a dentist can be traumatic or frightening for children and young people, and even more so, if they have additional support needs. Children who have toothache or who need treatment may have pain, infections, and difficulties with eating, sleeping, and socialising. We champion a rights-based approach to dental health and have developed and evaluated excellent play resources and activities which support visits to the dentist and/or coping with treatment. Our dental leaflet offers practical advice on preparation and relaxation before dental visits and we can provide direct advice to individuals and groups.
We provide a range of training, information sessions and resources to ensure that children, young people and their families are empowered to identify the needs of children during illness and access appropriate services. Topics include:
- Children and Young People’s Healthcare Rights
- Health Related Play
- Oral Health
- Transitions from Paediatric to Adult Services
