CHILD-FRIENDLY HEALTHCARE: DELIVERING ON THE RIGHT TO BE HEARD

Abstract

Under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC),1 children capable of forming views have the right to express those views and have them taken into account in all decisions that affect them. The last two decades have witnessed the increased participation of children in decision-making in areas such as education,2 family law,3 and on matters of public policy.4 However, attention has only more recently focussed on the child's right to be heard in the context of healthcare decision-making. In 2009, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, the body with responsibility for monitoring implementation of the CRC, stated in the context of healthcare that: Children, including young children, should be included in decision-making processes, in a manner consistent with their evolving capacities.5 Healthcare professionals who care for children must be able to listen to children, to respect their needs for information and to be prepared and able to give such information in the right amount and in a way which is suitable for the child's age.7