iSUPPORT: International collaborative rights-based standards to SUpport Paediatric Patients during clinical prOcedures by Reducing harm and establishing Trust.

We are an international group of health professionals, academics, young people, parents, child rights specialists, psychologists and youth workers who are all passionate about the health and wellbeing of children, especially when they interact with healthcare services.

What are the standards?

The standards aim to ensure that the short and long-term physical, emotional and psychological wellbeing of children and young people are of central importance in any decision-making for procedures or procedural practice.

The standards are a set of documents which outline what good procedural practice looks like.

Why are the standards important?

“The rights-based standards are very close to my heart and are really important to me. I experienced many badly handled procedures as a child and now as an adult the trauma still affects many of my life choices. I want to prevent other children from experiencing what I did and having difficulties with future procedures. The psychological wellbeing of a child before, during and after a procedure needs to be protected. This project will hopefully help do that and will avoid the unnecessary restraining of children for procedures.”

Katie, aged 20 years UK, multiple procedures experienced throughout childhood

Photo of Katie