Monthly Archives: November 2018

A child’s experience of family violence

One in four children in Australia grow up in homes marred by family violence. Yet despite growing awareness of the problem, children’s experiences are often overlooked. At RCH, the family violence team is helping staff to understand the immense difference they can make when they recognise and listen to children and their families who are living with violence.  During this Grand Round, Ruth Clare, author of the memoir Enemy, will share her personal experience of growing up in a home with a violent father and an alcoholic mother, and the impact this has had on her life.

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Transgender adolescents and hormone treatment: The role of The Royal Children’s Hospital in changing the law to improve treatment access across Australia

In 2004, the Family Court of Australia defined hormone treatment for transgender adolescents as a “special medical procedure”. This created a law which necessitated that all transgender adolescents were required to gain legal authority from the Family Court of Australia should they wish to medically transition to their affirmed gender identity. Even with the consent of the young person, their parents and approval of the medical team involved, court authority was required. This situation was unique to Australia, with no other jurisdiction in the world having such legal barriers to treatment.

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Towards an environmentally sustainable healthcare system: Our Campus opportunities

The Victorian Government has a legislated target of net carbon zero by 2050 and is seeking to reduce Victoria’s greenhouse gas emissions by 15-20 per cent from 2005 levels by the year 2020.  The Victorian public health system is responsible for a quarter of the government’s reported carbon emissions from stationary energy; over 800,000 tonnes in 2016-17. The environmental performance of the health system is measured through several metrics.

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