Our Care Philosophy

What is child and family-centred care?

For us, child and family-centred care is an approach to care and service delivery that recognizes that the child or patient is at the core of all that we do, and that the family is central in the child’s life and therefore central to our care processes. It is embedded in all SickKids processes of CARE (Clinical practice, Administration, Research, and Education) and extends beyond the hospital, into the community and health system where SickKids interacts locally, nationally, and internationally to shape and support health care service delivery.  

At SickKids, we believe that child and family-centred care is achieved through: respect, whereby patients and families receive personalized and compassionate care; communication, which promotes mutual understanding; and partnership, whereby children and families are engaged in their care in an authentic and collaborative way.  We believe that this approach results in optimal health, patient safety, health equity, and a positive patient and family experience.

Systems

The child is at the core and of primary importance. The child (infant/toddler/school-aged child/adolescent) deliberately appears prominent in the model to emphasize the need to provide focus on the child in the delivery of C&FCC. This is reflected by relative size, bold colour and core positioning among the other systems.

The family is central to everything we do. The family system is near and blends with the child system to portray the centrality of family to the child experience. Family may include all those identified by the child and family as close to and engaged in the care and support of the child (e.g. parents, siblings, grandparents, friends, other social supports).

Care at SickKids is experienced by children & families through engagement in clinical practice, administration, research and education.

The community and health system is where SickKids interacts beyond the organization, locally, nationally and internationally, to inform, shape and support health-care service delivery among other partner agencies and relevant stakeholders/providers.

Elements

Respect

Embracing the unique strengths, vulnerabilities, and values of children and families through the delivery of care that is personalized and compassionate.

Communication

Promoting mutual understanding with children and families by listening, information sharing, and validating in the process of care.

Partnership

Engaging children and families, according to their preference, through authenticity, collaboration, and participation in all aspects of care.

Outcomes

Promoting optimal health requires that care focus on quality of life, growth and development, symptom control, successful treatment of acute and chronic illness, and the optimal well-being of children and families (e.g. sibling adaptation, caregiver sleep, family coping, etc.)

Ensuring patient safety requires that every effort is made to minimize harm and optimize outcomes to ensure that children and families receive the safest and highest quality of possible care.

Achieving health equity requires that each child and family is honoured in a way that results in care that is just and fair (e.g. equitable access to high-quality services).

Maximizing patient experience requires that children and families feel personally supported and ideally perceive excellence in care.