Child and Adolescent Clinical Services Plan 2023-2030
The ACT Government is committed to delivering safe and age appropriate health services for children, adolescents and their families where and when they need them. We know the early years are vital in determining life outcomes. Continually improving our health services for children and adolescents also supports the development of a healthy and productive ACT community into the future.
Many of the good things that are expected of a health system for children, adolescents and their families exist in the ACT. There has been investments in child development, paediatric and youth services in recent years however we recognise there is more to do.
The Child and Adolescent Clinical Services Plan 2023-2030 sets a roadmap for future design, investment and development of children’s health services funded by the ACT Government. This plan is a key deliverable of the ACT Health Services Plan 2022-2030.
The ACT Government is committed to a public health system that provides services for children that:
- Have the child and family as part of the care team, with all services being child and family centred and integrated and where care is child safe, child friendly and child aware.
- Are evidence-based and informed by a learning health system where research drives optimal health and wellbeing for children.
- Creates the best possible health outcomes, through value driven, high quality care that is easy to access.
- Are inclusive and culturally appropriate and safe for all children, especially those with complex health and social needs.
- Are sustainable and based on need and efficient use of resources.
In September 2022, the Minister for Health established the Child and Adolescent Clinical Services Expert Panel to help prioritise strategies to achieve better health outcomes for children in Canberra and the surrounding region, particularly the most vulnerable in the community.
The Expert Panel has worked with stakeholders across the ACT’s health and community services to deliver the Child and Adolescent Clinical Services Plan four key objectives:
- Improve care, access and processes for children using ACT public hospitals including seriously unwell children.
- Improve care and services for children and families of children with chronic and complex conditions, where care is shared with Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network.
- Improve care and processes for children and their families requiring local outpatient and community-based services.
- Enable the health system to better respond to the needs of children and their families.
The outcomes and priorities in this plan complement other work already underway to improve the health of, and services for children in Canberra and the surrounding region. This includes the expansion of the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children, Maternity in Focus: First Action Plan 2022-2025, ACT Health Services Plan 2022-2030, Mental Health Services Plan (in development), and Healthy Canberra: the ACT Preventive Health Plan 2020-2025.
