Child and Family-Centred Care
The Centre for Innovation & Excellence in Child and Family-Centred Care
The Centre for Innovation & Excellence in Child and Family-Centred Care works with patients, families, and staff to advance the delivery of care that is centred on the needs of patients and their families. To enhance the patient and family experience at SickKids and to support staff in providing the best child and family-centred care, we provide:
- Formal opportunities for children and families to partner with staff to shape our services and care through the Family Advisory Network
- Health information, children's books, schooling services, and other resources at the Family Centre
- Play and programs for children and their families in our Family Spaces
- Health equity and cultural competence expertise
- Interpreter Services for limited English speaking patients and families, and those who are deaf, deafened, or hard of hearing
- A safe space to share ideas, comments, or concerns through the Office of Patient and Family Experience
- Legal services for families through the Pro Bono Law Ontario at SickKids program
- Spiritual and emotional care to patients, families, and staff through the Spiritual Care department
- Information on recent child and family-centred initiatives at SickKids
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.
SickKids’ Model of Child and Family-Centred Care
illustrates our commitment to
respect, communication, and partnership
at all levels of CARE to achieve our vision of
healthier children, a better world.
For a brief description of the model, please click on this link: Model of Child and Family-Centred Care.