FOR PARENTS, FAMILIES AND FRIENDS

Family-centred care

Children are not just little adults; this is especially true in a health care environment. Parents and families participate in treatment decisions, post-operative and ongoing care plans as members of multi-disciplinary teams. This is family-centred care.

Healthcare professionals are the experts on health and disease. Families are the experts on their child and can offer essential information to enhance their child’s health care. The guiding principles of family-centred care are:

• Respect - Parents and other family members deserve the same respect as other members of the team. Families’ choices should be respected along with their values, beliefs and cultural backgrounds.
• Information Sharing – As important members of the team, families are entitled to timely, complete and unbiased information offered in a supportive way. This allows them to make wise decisions about their child’s care.
• Collaboration – Patients and families should be active participants in the decisions made for their child. A family knows their child and the family’s strengths and circumstances. Professionals offer medical and other technical expertise. Together the best treatment plans can be created for the patient.
• Confidence Building - Family-centred care programs and services build families’ confidence and ability to care for themselves and their child.