Self-evaluation model and tool: The respect for Children's Rights in Hospitals

The HPH Task Force on Health Promotion for Children and Adolescents with the contribution of WHO, UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, England's Healthcare Commission and the Greek Ombudsman have devised a new model and tool related to children's rights in hospitals.

The model is inspired by the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), in particular its general principles on  non-discrimination (art. 2), on best interests of the child (art. 3 (1), on life, survival and development (art. 6) and on the respect for the views of the child (art. 12).
 
The tool identifies 12 rights - divided in three areas:
- Right to the highest attainable standard of health care.
- Right to information and participation in all decisions involving their health care.
- Right to protection from all forms of violence.
Also, questions and criteria are suggested to implement the self-evaluation model and tool on the respect of children's rights in hospital.
 
Theoretically, the model follows the general principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The specific objective of the model is to assess the gap between the full respect of children's rights in hospital and the actual practice, as a basis to promote improvement and change in that setting through the development of standards, taking of actions and further assessment and feedback, monitoring gaps and produce change.

By making the model and tool available online, our purpose is to disseminate it to Paediatric Hospitals and Departments throughout Europe and beyond and to provide them with a practical model and tool for the self-assessment and improvement of the respect of children’s rights in hospitals.

Get the full PDF here