Integrating care to improve child mental health and adversity

Childhood adversities are stressful and potentially traumatic events during childhood that can have lasting negative effects on health and wellbeing and significantly contribute to the development of mental health problems. While much can be done to support children and families to reduce and prevent the impact of adversities, currently, many face barriers that prevent them from accessing services in a timely and effective manner. These barriers include the fragmentation of existing services and a workforce with limited understanding of child mental health.

 

One promising strategy for overcoming these challenges and better meeting the needs of children and families is taking an integrated approach to the delivery of existing child and family-focused health and social care. With an emphasis on linking and strengthening existing services, integrated approaches focus on equity, early intervention, and understanding and addressing the needs of families experiencing adversity to more efficiently improve care quality and patient experience.

 

This webinar explores Child and Family Hubs as a means to integrate health and social care for Victorian families experiencing adversity with children 0-8 years. Topics covered will include co-design, implementation, and evaluation of Hubs from a research, practice and policy perspective and the challenges and potential solutions encountered.

 

This webinar will cover:

• an overview of evidence of integrated primary health and social care approaches on child mental health outcomes
• a discussion of integration - what does this mean and how do we integrate primary health and social care?
• insights into how community health services are developing and implementing Child and Family Hubs for children 0-8 years and the challenges encountered
• an overview of state government initiatives related to integrated primary care Hubs.

 

Prof Sharon Goldfeld, Director of the Centre for Community Child Health, will host the webinar and a Q&A with the panel.

 

Panel

• Jayne Nelson - CEO, IPC Health
• Alison Boylan - Director of State-wide Policy and Programs, Department of Health and Human Services
• Dr Suzy Honisett - Postdoctoral Fellow, Murdoch Children's Research Institute.

Thriving Children, Thriving Communities series

This webinar is part of the Thriving Children, Thriving Communities webinar series focused on equity and innovation in community child health. Access recordings of previous webinars: https://www.rch.org.au/ccch/thriving-children-thriving-communities/.

 

Register here