FOCUS AREA
Family Engagement
We promote the meaningful inclusion of families as full partners in the planning and implementation of health care policies, programs, and individual service plans.
Why It's Important
Families of children with special health care needs have the lived experience of navigating the complex and fragmented health care system and are the experts in the care of their children. Incorporating the family perspective at all levels of the health care system can help ensure a system that is more responsive to and appropriate for families.
Our Approach
We promote the meaningful inclusion of families as full partners in the planning and implementation of health care policies, programs, and individual service plans. We believe engaging families as full partners requires the intentional practice of working with them at the individual, community, and policy levels. Our priorities include:
- Increasing the number of trained family advocates
- Developing opportunities for family members to participate in policymaking
- Sharing best practices for family engagement at the system level
- Building evidence on the impact of meaningful family engagement
- Promoting peer-to-peer support practices in health care settings
Highlights
Recently Awarded Grants
Assessing Family Friendly Care in Realizing Self-Management (AFFIRM) California
Awarded: June 2023
Organization:
Regents of the University of California San Francisco
Grant Amount: $796,417 for 36 months
Supporting Families and State Agency Officials in Children’s Policymaking
Awarded: May 2023
Organization:
Children Now
Grant Amount: $160,000 for 24 months
California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative (CPQCC) Building A Statewide Family Advisory Council for Neonatal Intensive Care Units
Awarded: November 2022
Organization:
Stanford University School of Medicine
Grant Amount: $186,499 for 24 months