Who is looking after the health of Australias children

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Who is looking after the health of Australias
children?

• A joint Advocacy session with a discussion panel
  of paediatricians working in the areas of
  research, policy, advaocacy regional general
  paediatrics

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Who is looking after the health of Australias
Children?
Views from the field
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The Panel

• Fiona Stanley
• Elisabeth Murphy
• Elizabeth Hallam
• Peter Eastaugh
• Errol Alden

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Aim of the workshop

• The role of the paediatrician as advocate
• Understand the possibilities for advocacy
• Discuss training needs in advocacy
• What should the role of the College be?

have people participate!!!!!
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What is advocacy?
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Why advocate for children?

• Substantial part of our population
• Vulnerable group
• No political power
• Foundations of adult health are laid in childhood
• UN Convention on the Rights of the Child requires
  it
• The time is right

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Why paediatricians?

• Because it is good for children
• Because leaders lead by example
• Because we can identify issues requiring action
  at a local level
• Because we can identify issues requiring action
  at a national level
• Because it is our history
• Because it is in our interests

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Paediatricians are often too polite, too passive
and too unaware of how to move the system.
OBrien S, Parker S, Greenberg J, Zuckerman B.
Putting Children First The paediatrician as
advocate. Contemporary Pediatrics, 1997
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Issues

• Training
• Role of the College training and undertaking
  advocacy-does it have a role?
• Partnerships

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Advocacy in Rural Practice

• WHAT ?

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Advocacy in Rural Practice

• The Bleeding Heart Paediatricians
• Mr (Prominent Victorian Bureaucrat)

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Advocacy in Rural Practice

• Insult or Compliment?

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Advocacy in Rural Practice

• Who ever said Women and Children first?
• Reality in Rural Hospitals
• Elective Surgical Patients
• Adult medical needs
• Adult Rehabilitation
• Women and Child Services

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Advocacy in Rural Practice

• Who ever said Women and Children first?
• In Rural Community
• Priorities
• Roads and Drains get Votes Child abuse does not
  rate when it comes to elections" Local Member of
  Parliament

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Advocacy in Rural Practice
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Advocacy in Rural Practice

• Always going backwards a bit
• Make no friends being a child advocate
• Minimal support from adult colleagues
• The Bleeding Heart Paediatricians
• Mr (Prominent Victorian Bureaucrat)
• Insult or Compliment?

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Advocacy in Rural Practice

• Using Opportunities
• Promoting child issues in the community
• Being available to present at community forums
• Providing availability to local newspapers for
  comment
• Using local media to get the message across

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Advocacy in Rural Practice

• Supporting services
• Being part of funding applications for child and
  youth activities
• Using Paediatric networks to be informed of
  potential funding packages (no one invites
  applications)
• Use your contacts to advocate for your areas needs

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Advocacy in Rural Practice

• Part of the Child and Youth network
• Community Networking forum
• Best Start Partnership Committee
• Child Abuse Committee
• Innovations/Vulnerable Families Committee
• Connections with youth services
• Local Government

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Advocacy in Rural Practice

• National issues
• Promoting and participating in Local Responses
• Stand up in the park!

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Advocacy in Rural Practice

• In the Consulting room
• Drugs and behavior
• Compliance with medication
• Alternative treatments
• Intermediary between patient and parent
• Availability for disclosures

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Advocacy in Rural Practice

• Prisoners in the school!

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Advocacy in Rural Practice

• Training
• Who does it?
• College responsibility?
• Core Training ?
• Anyone can be trained to be an advocate

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Advocacy in Rural Practice

• Personalities/Passion
• Not everyone can do it (cop out?)
• Not everyone wants to do it
  (it IS Paediatrics!)
• Some just give up!
• Everyone can be an advocate for children it is
  merely a matter of degrees
• Setting an example-It is ultimately the
  communities responsibility

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Advocacy in Rural Practice

• Pitfalls
• Motives
• Self destruct
• Enemy number one re those who administer

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ADVOCACY

• A Regional Paediatricians Experience

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Steps in Becoming a Successful Advocate

• Everyday Practice
• Someone who cares and gets things done
• Getting Involved and Developing Skills
• Involvement in Professional Groups
• Special Interests
• Networking
• Recognition as an Expert

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Everyday practice

• Intervene on child and families behalf
• Occurs when they become frustrated with the
  system
• Needs practice and skills
• Usually in writing or telephone
• Ask them to help you
• Breakdown professional barriers by being
  personable
• Accept compromises Acknowledge they are just as
  busy and under resourced as you
• Establish Contacts

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• Dr Liz did you know we are going to be homeless
  on Monday?
• Phone call to Shirley in the Housing Dept
• Moved to the top of the list
• 6 weeks later Cody and her mum telephoned excited
  as they had a new home close to all the community
  supports they need

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Danielle her Mum

• D 16yr mood swings Panic attacks
• Wisc performed 2yrs previously mild intellectual
  disability
• Mother had received results in mail
• No covering letter no interview
• Mother poor reading skills

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• Telephone to Education support services
• Review process how results of assessments are
  communicated to parents
• School contacted Class teacher informed of her
  fears would counsel her and her mother
• D returned to school behavior normal

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• Tom presented with short stature, he was not
  allowed to participate in swimming lessons at
  school because he was too short to touch the
  bottom of the pool. I telephoned the school and
  arranged for a teachers aid to assist him in the
  pool.
• Stacy had a severe unstable bladder and because
  of her wetting was denied access to school bus
  for excursion for hygiene reasons. I arranged for
  Wetaway nurse to attend the school and educate
  staff regarding her condition. She attended the
  next school outing.

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Be involved, Develop Skills

• Be active in Local committees
• Hospital esp where there is unequal balance of
  priorities between adults childrens needs
• Parent community groups
• College Professional
• Networking
• Develop special interests
• Child protection, court work reports
• Continence policy services

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Samantha

• Severe disability as a result of Shaken Baby
  Syndrome
• Now in long term foster care
• Encouraged her dedicated foster parents to apply
  for compensation Victims of crime
• Awarded 20,000 now in trust

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Recognition as an Expert

• State chair PCHD comment on policy
• Law Reform Institute Physical Punishment of
  Children
• Formed working party
• Developed a response
• Networked with key members of the division
• Response endorsed by PCHD
• Institute has sent copies of our response to all
  members of parliament
• Further lobbying will be continue