About Us

Children's Healthcare Canada acknowledges that the land on which we work and live is the traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishnaabeg people.  We recognize and deeply appreciate their historic connection to this place. We also recognize the contributions that Métis, Inuit, and other Indigenous peoples have made, both in shaping and strengthening this community, our province and the country.

As settlers, this recognition of the contributions and historic importance of Indigenous peoples must also be clearly and overtly connected to our collective commitment to make the promise and the challenge of Truth and Reconciliation real in our communities and the work we do daily with children, youth and their families.

Who We Are

We bring together leaders in child health to create system-wide change. Our members deliver health services to millions of children and youth across Canada, and include:

• Children’s tertiary/quaternary and rehabilitation hospitals
• Community hospitals serving children and youth
• Children’s treatment centres
• Home/respite care providers
• Regional health authorities

As a national association, Children’s Healthcare Canada:

• Takes a systemic approach to children’s health:
  • We work with stakeholders across the continuum of care to build integrated and innovative child health systems.
• Assembles diverse perspectives and expertise:
  • We bring together leaders to share knowledge and insights that drive conversations forward and inform action.
• Has a strong and stable foundation:
  • Throughout our 50 year history, we have built a strong and loyal membership base – having proven our value over time. The meaningful and trusting relationships we have built provide a strong springboard for success.

Key Elements of Our Strategy

Children’s Healthcare Canada will inform the development of innovative and integrated health systems. 

We will accomplish this through the following pillars: 

• Share evidence and accelerate implementation of high quality child, youth and family centred healthcare wherever it is delivered;
• Unite strategic partners to foster excellence in children’s health;
• Advocate to improve children’s health and health systems.

View the full Strategic Plan

 Our Strategy in Action

• Children’s Healthcare Canada purposefully partners with organizations and individuals who influence system improvement. For example, in 2020, Children’s Healthcare Canada partnered with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health), UNICEF Canada, and the Pediatric Chairs of Canada to develop and a framework to measurably improve the health and well-being of children, youth and families in Canada. You can learn more about the Inspiring Healthy Futures initiative online.
  

• Children’s Healthcare Canada collects, critiques, and disseminates evidence-informed and innovative  practices, programs, and policies through our SPARK Knowledge Mobilization program. This includes a newsletter, webinars, podcasts, social media, events, and a knowledge mobilization consultation and support service for researchers to enable the best healthcare for Canada’s children and youth. In 2020, these webinars reached over 9,000 members of the Children’s Healthcare Canada community.
• Each year, Children’s Healthcare Canada convenes leaders (front line, administrative/executive, families) in the child health community at our annual conference to identify, articulate, and influence healthcare and health system improvements across the continuum of care. In addition to the Annual Conference, Children's Healthcare Canada hosts pop-up events (focused mini-conferences) on issues and topics that align with our strategy, priority populations, and emerging issues in children's health and healthcare.
• Children’s Healthcare Canada works directly with Parliamentarians and other decision makers, advocating for pan-Canadian data and evidence and facilitating round table discussions to inform effective child health policy.

How We Make a Difference:

In Canada, children’s health services are fragmented. Children’s Healthcare Canada recognizes that managers and clinicians involved in the front-line care of children often face similar challenges, despite considerable variation between children and families, healthcare services they access, and the practice settings in which they are served. We recognize that the expertise for understanding these common challenges, and addressing them with innovative solutions lies within our membership and the broader children's healthcare community.

Children’s Healthcare Canada facilitates the identification, development, and mobilization of solutions that will create meaningful change in children's health and healthcare. We serve to unite partners in child health who share a vision for healthy, vibrant children and youth, and we advocate for systems that will better serve children and youth, their families, and our members.

When We Speak Publicly

Children’s Healthcare Canada is a national association that represents health service delivery organizations who care for children, youth and their families in Canada. We are dedicated to strengthening healthcare systems that care for kids from coast to coast to coast. In alignment with our core mission, we focus our public communications on matters that directly pertain to health systems improvement, or that impact children’s health outcomes in Canada. These are the areas where our collective voice delivers expertise and impact. We welcome public interest in our work and will continue to provide evidence- informed perspectives on issues that relate to our specialization and focus as an organization, and as a community of health systems leaders.