Overview
Child Life and Family Services provides a membrane of protection that differentiates CHOC Children’s from all adult-care or general hospitals. The nurturing psychosocial environment we create is as
essential to successful outcomes as any medicine we practice.
The organizing principle of Child Life and Family Services is “family-centered” care. Whether a child suffers from a chronic disease, a life-threatening injury, or a simple short-term illness,
the stress on the child, the parents, and the siblings is immeasurable. Family-centered care means partnering with families, working with them as a whole, to minimize anxiety and help make life as normal as possible while a child is in the hospital.
CHOC’s approach to family-centered care recognizes a child’s family as the constant in a child’s life and, therefore, our focus is on the patient within the context of the family as a unit, not the child alone. In our partnership of care with families, we assume that parents provide the most expert knowledge of their child. Our perspective is that family members are not “visitors” but rather CHOC is a visitor in the lives of our patients and families.
What is Child Life and Family Services?
When children come in for chemotherapy treatment or dialysis, they’re captive. How do you keep them engaged and make six to 16 hours of treatment and waiting palatable? How do we help children cope with their fears so they don’t end up saying, “I never want to go back?” Together, Child Life and Family Services do everything possible to normalize the psychosocial impact of hospital experiences.
For example, whether a patient is about to have a minor procedure or major surgery, Child Life Specialists take extra care to explain what they are going to see, feel, hear, and taste. Managing a child’s and family’s expectations helps avoid surprises and maintains an environment where care and healing may thrive.
Other programs include psychosocial services for the whole family, therapeutic play, grief support for siblings, school services, and special entertainment.
