We are the only charity in Scotland dedicated to informing, promoting and campaigning on behalf of the needs of all sick children and young people within our healthcare system, supporting best practice when working with families caring for a sick child. Here are some of the ways we can help you:
- Special Smiles Training
- Children’s Health and Wellbeing Rights Training
- Health and Wellbeing Presentations
Publications
We have a range of information leaflets on aspects of preparing a child for healthcare intervention and treatment:
- Helping Children Cope with Pain
- Helping Children Cope with Needles
- What to Expect When a Child Goes to Hospital
- Preparing your Child for Dental treatment
- Young People in Hospital Guide
- The GP Service for Children and Young People
Other resources we can provide include:
This is designed to help all those working with children and young people who wish to help them to understand the nature of healthcare services, how to access these and their rights in relation to their use. The cost of this resource pack is £40.
Health Boards can order copies of the EACH Charter and Poster for dissemination within their area. The EACH Charter is recommended by the Scottish Government in ‘Delivering a Health Future: An Action Framework for Children and Young People in Scotland’, as the standard against which NHS Boards can assess their child health services. We can supply EACH Charter booklets.
Going into hospital or preparing for any other kind of healthcare treatment or intervention can be a daunting time for families. Information about the treatment and what to expect can help them cope better and prepare their child for what to expect. Our pack includes a selection of our leaflets, including questions people frequently ask, What to expect when a child goes to hospital and the EACH Charter explaining their healthcare rights. It also includes booklets on Consent and Confidentiality for under 16s and Have Your Say! We can provide packs for you to give your patient families or we can send them direct to the family.
Our area staff can provide one-to-one advice and support to families. Recent examples include:
A young child was facing surgery of a very sensitive nature where compliance was an issue. Our staff member was able to work with the family using a hospital play box, support the mother and liaise with the hospital staff.
A girl in her teens was admitted onto an adult ward and was not being allowed access to her parents. An area staff member was able to act as a conduit between paediatric services and the adult ward, and parents were then allowed access.
Information and Signposting
We provide information relating to the healthcare needs of families, these include:
- Children and young people’s healthcare rights
- Information on rare disorders and long term conditions
- Where to turn for advice on welfare rights and benefits.
Resources
We can sometimes arrange for you to have the use of a Hospital Play Box to help your work with families.
Young Parents Speak Out
The Young Parents Speak Out DVD gives information to young parents on how to access healthcare for their children and shows them talking about their experiences both positive and negative. This DVD is an excellent training resource for those working with young parents and is available to view here. Workshop facilitator’s notes for showing the DVD to groups are also available here.
Information about and Service Users’ Views on Healthcare Services
Since 1985 we have surveyed Scottish hospitals admitting paediatric patients to assess how family friendly their facilities are. Read our latest Parental Access and Family Facilities Report.
Talks to Students
Our staff are available to come and talk to nursing and other healthcare students about our work and the specific needs of sick children, young people and their families.
