Association for the Wellbeing of Children in Healthcare

Association for the Wellbeing of Children in Healthcare (AWCH)
Motto Helping You Help Kids
Founded 1973
Type Hospitalised children Charity
Focus Children's Rights
Location
Coordinates 33°50′21″S 151°08′01″E / 33.839285°S 151.133686°E / -33.839285; 151.133686
Origins United Kingdom's National Association for the Welfare of Children in Hospital
Area served
Australia
Services Charitable services
Method Popular Education and Activism
Mission Charity
Website awch.org.au
Formerly called
 Association for the Welfare of Children in Hospital * Association for the Welfare of Child Health

The Association for the Wellbeing of Children in Healthcare is an Australian-based voluntary organisation that gives non-medical attention and support to hospitalised children and their parents. Formed in 1973, the group changed its name from Association for the Welfare of Children in Hospital to Association for the Welfare of Child Health in 1993 and then to Association for the Wellbeing of Children in Healthcare in 2007. In 2008, the association co-wrote "Standards for the Care of Children and Adolescents in Health Services," a set of guidelines for treating children and teenagers in wards that are separate from adults. As of 2007, the association was based in Gladesville, New South Wales.

History

In 1959, the United Kingdom's Ministry of Health published the Platt report of 1959, a three-year investigative account of the welfare of children in United Kingdom hospital that required hospitals to implement major changes in the non-medical care of children in hospital.[1] That led to the 1961 formation of Mother Care for Children in Hospital (MCCH), a group formed to increase the roles mothers had over the care of their child in hospital.[1] By 1965, enough like-minded healthcare professionals joined the mother's group and the group was renamed the National Association for the Welfare of Children in Hospital (NAWCH).[1] That led to the formation of similar groups in Canada (Canadian Association for Community Care) and Australia.[2]

The Association for the Wellbeing of Children in Healthcare (AWCH) was founded as Association for the Welfare of Children in Hospital (AWCH) on 15 February 1973 in Australia as a voluntary organisation that gives non-medical attention and support to hospitalised children and their parents.[3] The newly formed organisation wanted to make the public aware of conditions for children in NSW's hospitals, including deficiencies in standards of care. The Association was particularly concerned whether parents were allowed to visit freely in hospitals. Years of debate over the need to consider the emotional as well as physical needs of children in hospital lay behind the formation of the new body. The group changed its 1973 name from Association for the Welfare of Children in Hospital to Association for the Welfare of Child Health in 1993, and then to Association for the Wellbeing of Children in Healthcare in 2007.

In 2008, the Association for the Wellbeing of Children in Healthcare and the Royal Australian College of Physicians co-wrote "Standards for the Care of Children and Adolescents in Health Services," a set of guidelines for treating children and teenagers in wards that are separate from adults.[4] The standard concluded that treating children and teenagers on mixed wards alongside adults exposed the minors to poor care and mental trauma.[4] To address this, the Association for the Wellbeing of Children in Healthcare proposed in the standard to treat children in separate areas of adult wards where staff are trained in children's needs or in wards that are completely separate from adults.[4]

Publications

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Ruth Davies (April 13, 2000), "A celebration of 100 years' achievement in child health", British Journal of Nursing, 9 (7), p. 423, PMID 11111437
  2. ↑ de Lima RA, Rocha SM, Scochi CG, Callery P (November 1, 2001), "Involvement and fragmentation: a study of parental care of hospitalised children in Brazil", Pediatric Nursing, 27 (6), p. 559, PMID 12024527
  3. ↑ Lorna Kernan (September 1, 1997), "Well & Good Checkup", Irish Times, retrieved January 29, 2013
  4. 1 2 3 Adam Cresswell (November 18, 2008), "Call for separate wards for children", The Australian, sec. Local, p. 7, retrieved January 29, 2013

External links

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