Community Child Health

An evidence-based system for early years interventions to reduce child health and developmental inequities: Insights from the interventional birth cohort study Born in Bradford’s Better Start (BiBBS)

There are real challenges in delivering equitable health care in a community, even when there is policy and service goodwill. This is an issue for health services around the world. For the past ten years BiBBS has been working alongside service partners and families to co-design, implement and evaluate multiple early years interventions that are delivered as a part of usual practice in disadvantaged inner-city areas in the UK.

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The Victorian Paediatric Clinical Network – A Phoenix Rises

The Victorian Paediatric Clinical Network (VPCN) was formed in 2009 and has been through several iterations, before being closed by Safer Care Victoria at the end of 2022. In 2023 it was reformed by the paediatric sector in recognition of the significant role a clinical network has in improving the care of children across the State.

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Vernon Collins Oration: “The power of paediatrics to address child health inequity within a generation: reality or fantasy?”

There has never been a better time for children in the Australian policy world, with portfolios like health, social services, education, disability and treasury all sounding the importance of children for the nation’s wellbeing and growth. At the same time, almost every child health and developmental metric shows stable or growing inequities –preventable inequalities due to social, geographic or economic circumstances. What would it take to change the trajectory of Australia’s children and is it even possible?

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Aboriginal child health and Out of Home Care in Victoria

The Royal Children’s Hospital had over 7000 interactions with Aboriginal children and families last year.  Wadja Aboriginal Family Place Case Managers provide culturally sensitive support and care coordination to Aboriginal and Torres Strait families attending the hospital, either as inpatients or outpatients. 

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The Centre for Adolescent Health: Supporting the healthy development of young people

Spanning the three campus partners, the Centre for the Adolescent Health has driven actions for adolescent health over more than 3 decades, with the aim of understanding and promoting the healthy development of young people, locally and globally. Newly appointed as a Professor of Adolescent Health, Professor Peter Azzopardi will share his personal journey in adolescent health, and in doing so will celebrate the legacy of the late Professor George Patton. 

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Vernon Collins Oration 2023 — Liana Buchanan, Children’s rights: progress and challenges

In this year’s oration, Liana Buchanan, will draw on what she sees in her role as Principle Commissioner and share her perspectives on the progress we have made for children in this state and the work yet to be done. We like to consider ourselves a society that values and nurtures children, but how well does that self-concept translate into practice, policy and investment? How well do we fare when it comes to realising children’s rights in Victoria?

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Every child in every community needs a fair go

This Grand Round, in the lead up to Child Protection Week 3-9th September, will focus on how as a health service we can identify children who are at risk of missing out on essential medical care. Each year at RCH thousands of health care encounters are missed when children and young people are not brought for scheduled appointments. For some children this can lead to harm, and rarely even have fatal consequences. As a health service we need to consider what the impacts are for these children and be aware of our role in reducing the risk of harm in this vulnerable group.  

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What happened when we invited design students into the PICU

We are all problem solvers. We are accustomed to applying the scientific method and quality improvement models to deliver better care. Design thinking is an approach to solving problems that emphasizes a human-centred and iterative process to create innovative solutions. Six years ago, we invited design students into the PICU to see if we could find better ways of teaching congenital heart disease. This is the story of that journey.

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30 years of Musculoskeletal Research in Cerebral Palsy: From Melbourne to Basel and Boston (and back!)

In three parts, this Grand Round intends to describe the significant developments in the management of musculoskeletal conditions associated with cerebral palsy. First, the critical role that the Victorian Cerebral Palsy Register (VCPR) has played in epidemiological research, clinical research, and public health policy will be outlined. The second section will discuss technical developments in the management of Neuromuscular Hip Dysplasia, including novel imaging techniques and new aids for surgeons when considering surgical treatment. The final section will focus on common gait problems in children with cerebral palsy, as well as novel treatment concepts

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