The Importance Of Family Centred Care

By providing Family Centred Care and allowing the presence of a primary care giver it is not only important for the emotional health of a hospitalised child, it can also help the family to feel involved in the care and decision making, it also allows parents to remain in control of their child and have a positive effect on the family’s health as a whole, with reports showing that the biggest cause of stress for parents of hospitalised children is the lack of parental control (Corlett & Twycross, 2006) this can lead to further health issues for the parents if they are under great stress with figures showing that almost half of parents who have a critically ill child suffer post-traumatic stress and depression (Lautrette, Darmon & Megarbane
It also goes on to further state that where needed language interpreters and communication aids such as sign language should be used to discuss treatment with both the child and the family members in order to include them in all decisions and parents with any learning difficulties or special needs should receive further help whilst their child is ill. The framework also enforces the need to work as part of a multidisciplinary team with other professionals such as Learning Disability Teams, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAHMS) and with this creating a Family Care Plan. Family centred care is of great importance when nursing a sick child, allowing parents to contribute in decision making is an important part of this process however the rights of the child should be adhered too at all times, The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) seeks to protect children where they cannot protect themselves, this relates to hospital decision making. Where families have certain beliefs and cultures this may not always be in the best interest of a sick child, for example some religions such as Jehovah witness do not allow blood transfusions as part of their