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
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
Creation of a Parent Mentor Program to Meet the Health Equity Needs of Children and Families from Diverse Backgrounds
Awarded: May 2022
Organization:
Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford
Grant Amount: $225,000 for 24 months
Building Capacity for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Children’s Hospital Patient Family Advisory Councils
Awarded: May 2022
Organization:
Institute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care
Grant Amount: $220,452 for 18 months