LIST OF RESOLUTIONS FROM ALL EACH CONFERENCES
2023 EACH RESOLUTION on ‘CRITICALLY ILL CHILDREN’
Final resolution of the 15th European conference of EACH
Held in Prague / Czech Republic from 19 to 21 October, 2023
Critically ill children have the right to be treated and cared for by paediatric staff, skilled and experienced in paediatric intensive care, as well as the right to be admitted to a dedicated Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).
The member organisations of the European Association for Children in Hospital (EACH), together in Prague on the 21th of October 2023, call upon all states, professional bodies, hospitals and everyone who prioritizes the best interests of critical ill children, to implement the EACH Charter[1], in particular art.8 about ‘Staff with specific professional skills and training’ and art.6 about ‘Children being cared for in a developmentally appropriate environment and not on adult wards’.
By involving parents, skilled staff in a PICU can optimize the chances of ill children to survival and can, together with the parents, prevent long-term consequences after intensive care.
EACH notes with concern that the care of critically ill children in many countries in Europe is not realizing the ‘Right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health’ as laid down in the General comment No.15 on art 24 UNCRC[2] and is therefore not in the best interests of the child.[3]
Prague, October 21th 2023
This Resolution was adopted by the Delegates present from Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Scotland, Sweden.
The EACH Charter and its annotations:
- Article 2: Children in hospital shall have the right to have their parents or parent substitute with them at all times.
- Article 4.2: Steps should be taken to mitigate physical and emotional stress.
- Article 6.1: Children shall be cared for together with children who have the same developmental needs and shall not be admitted to adult wards.
- Article 6.2: There should be no age restrictions for visitors to children in hospital.
- Article 8: Children shall be cared for by staff whose training and skills enable them to respond to the physical, emotional and developmental needs of children and families,
- Article 10: Children shall be treated with tact and understanding and their privacy shall be respected at all times.
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
- Article 3.1 and Art 3.3: Best interests of the child
- Article 12.1: Respect for the views of the child
- Article 19: Child’s right to protection from all forms of violence
- Article 24: Children’s right to health and health services
- General Comment No 15 (2013) on the right of the child to the highest attainable standard of health (Art. 24)
[1] EACH Charter and its annotations edition 2022: www.eachcharter.com
[2] 2013 General Comment No.15, on the right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health. Adopted by the Committee on the Rights of the Child at its sixty-second session ( 14 January – 1 February 2013)
[3]‘ Not in the best interests of the child’ is the key principle linking to all UNCRC
2018 RESOLUTION ON ‘AVOIDING PAIN, FEAR AND STRESS’
Final resolution of the 14th European conference of EACH
Held in Frankfurt/Germany from September 26 to September 29, 2018
In line with the EACH Charter for the Rights of Sick Children and its Annotations*, the member organisations of the European Association for Children in Hospital call upon all governments to ensure that:
Having regard to ethical and legal considerations and as a fundamental part of the quality of healthcare for children, managers, healthcare professionals and insurance companies should strive for optimal patient cooperation without restraint, for patient comfort and the avoidance of suffering, pain and fear.
In order to deal with pain, fear and stress and to promote positive cooperation and engagement with sick children, professionals in child healthcare should:
- have the competence, interpersonal and social skills to make a connection with and to gain the trust and co-operation of children. They should be able to communicate in an empathetic and patient manner with children and their parents;
- have the professional skills, competence and experience to administer safe, effective and comfort-directed pain management procedures, and to ensure that children understand and accept such procedures (either verbally or non-verbally).
2016 RESOLUTION ON ‘CONTINUITY OF CARE FOR SICK CHILDREN OF REFUGEE SEEKING FAMILIES’
Final resolution of the 13th European conference of EACH
Held in Utrecht/the Netherland from September 21 to September 24, 2016
In line with the EACH Charter for the Rights of Sick Children and its Annotations*, specifically article 9 about ‘Continuity of care’, the member organizations of EACH European Association for Children in Hospital call upon all governments to ensure that:
- the enforced relocation of refugee/asylum seeking families with a sick child is avoided in order to provide continuity of care and avoid separation from parents. It also applies to children under the age of 18 who have arrived unaccompanied, and also to those who have a trusted carer(s);
- all health care professionals are informed by their own national health system of the specific practice in place for children who are refugees/asylum seekers. In turn this practice should be explained to these children and their parents / carers;
- sick children and their health records are systematically traceable within and across countries;
- extra efforts are made to communicate with refugees/asylum seekers in a clear, understandable way (by oral and written translation) in a manner appropriate to age and understanding.
2014 RESOLUTION ON ‘PARENTAL PRESENCE ANYTIME AND ANY PLACE’
Final resolution of the 12th European conference of EACH
Held in Prague/Czech Republic from September 10 to September 13, 2014
Referring to clause 2 of the EACH Charter for Children in Hospital we are calling on all governments and providers to see to that:
Children and young people in hospital and other health care services shall have the right to have their parents or parent substitutes with them anytime, anywhere, any place, 24-hours a day, regardless of the age of the child or young person.
This applies whether or not the children or young people are being treated and/or examined, with or without local anesthesia or sedation and before and after general anesthesia. This also applies whether they are within neonatal or pediatric intensive care units, ambulance transport services, accident & emergency departments, isolation rooms, medical imaging rooms, recovery rooms, maternity services and all other health care settings in and outside of hospitals.”
Resolved by the EACH General Assembly in Prague, 13th September 2014
Delegates were present from Austria, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovenia.
2012 RESOLUTION ON ‘PAID LEAVE FOR PARENTS OF SICK CHILDREN’
Final resolution of the 11th European conference of EACH
Held in Manchester/England from October 17 to October 19, 2012
With reference to Article 3 of the Charter for Children in Hospital, the European Association for Children in Hospital (EACH) have found that there are significant discrepancies within member countries in how parents are assisted to support their sick child, either in hospital, any healthcare setting or in the home.
The member organisations of EACH resolve to call on their governments, health services, and relevant national agencies to put in place measures designed to fullfil the clauses of Article 3 of the Charter.
These measures include but are not limited to:
- when caring for their child, either in hospital or at home, loss of income should not be incurred;
- there must be no penalisation or discrimination within the workforce against parents of sick children;
- parents should not incur additional costs:
– when caring for their child in hospital or at home;
– for overnight accommodation in hospital;
– for the care of siblings;
– through travel and/or any other costs (medical or non medical).
Resolved on October 20, 2012 by the EACH General Assembly held in Manchester where members from the following nations were present or representeted:
Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Japan.
2010 RESOLUTION ON ‘RESTRAINT’
Final resolution of the 10th European conference of EACH
Held in Dublin/Ireland from June 16 to June 19, 2010
In the best interests of the child EACH, the European Association for Children in Hospital, advocates:
Restraint* should be avoided in medical procedures, unless there is no alternative in a life threatening situation. According to the EACH Charter, all hospitals where children are treated should have appropriately trained staff and organisational frameworks to mitigate children’s fear, pain and distress (article 7 of the EACH Charter and Annotations).
* Other expressions used for restraint are:
– Forced immobilization of a child imposed by adults or by any mechanical means;
– Clinical holding;
– Therapeutic holding;
– Fixation.
Resolved on June 19, 2010 by the EACH General Assembly held in Dublin where members from the following countries were represented:
Austria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, The Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Japan.
2004 RESOLUTION ON ‘NEWBORN BABIES AND THE RIGHT NOT TO BE SEPARATED FROM THEIR PARENTS’
Resolution of the 8th European conference of EACH
Held in Lissabon/Portugal from March 25 to March 28, 2004
The 8th EACH Conference urges all governments, health care services, professional bodies and hospitals to implement the EACH Charter from the first moment a child is born, whether it is in neonatal care, intensive care or maternity wards: Babies in hospitals have the right to have their parents with them at all times.
- Accommodation should be offered free of charge; parents should be informed and their active participation in care and decision-making should be encouraged and supported.
- Babies should be looked after by staff whose training and skills enable them to respond to the individual physical, emotional and developmental needs of the babies in their care.
- Every baby should be protected from unnecessary medical treatment and investigation, and steps should be taken to prevent or mitigate physical and emotional stress and pain.
- The team providing the treatment for babies shall ensure continuity of care.
- The relationship between the family and the baby should be respected, bonding facilitated, and their privacy ensured.
This resolution was adopted by the 8th EACH Conference in Lisbon on March 28, 2004.
The EACH Member Organisations:
Austria: Verein Kinderbegleitung – Belgium: HU Ass. pour l’Humanisation de l’Hôpital en Pédiatrie – Finland: Suomen Nobab Finland – France: APACHE Ass. pour l’Améliorisation des Conditions d’Hospitalisation des Enfants; and Animation Loisirs à l’Hôpital – Germany: AKIK Aktionskomitee Kind im Krankenhaus Bundesverband e.V. – Greece: Ass. of Social Pediatric Friends – Iceland: Umhyggja Nobab-Iceland – Ireland: Children in Hospital Ireland (CHI) – Italy: A.B.I.O. Associazione per il Bambino in Ospedale – The Netherlands: Kind en Ziekenhuis – Norway: Nobab-Norge – Portugal: IAC Institute de Apoio à Criança-Humanisation Co-ordination – Sweden: Nobab-Sweden – Switzerland: Kind & Spital – United Kingdom: Action for Sick Children – Japan: The Network for Playtherapy & Hospital Environment for Children.
For further studies:
– The EACH Charter (1988) and Annotations (2002)
– The 10 principles of family-centred maternity care (FCMC) by Phillips + Fenwick
– The NIDCAP® Program (Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program), Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
1999 RESOLUTION ON ‘ACCOMMODATION FOR PARENTS’
Final resolution of the 6th European conference of EACH
Held in Milano/Italy in November 1999
Referring to clause 6 of the Charter for Children in Hospital:
“Accommodation should be offered to all parents and they should be helped and encouraged to stay. Parents should not incur additional cost or suffer loss of income. In order to share in the care of their child, parents should be kept informed about ward routine and their active participation encouraged.”The 6th European Conference of EACH demands of the EC and all European Governments that
“All governments or providers should enable parents to stay with their child in hospital all the time without cost to the parents.”
Milan, November 15, 1999
Delegations were present from: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom.
1997 RESOLUTION ON ‘IMPLEMENTING THE EACH CHARTER’
Final resolution of the 5th European conference of EACH
Held in Basel/Switzerland from April 17 to April 20, 1997
The Fifth Conference of EACH demands of the EC and all European Goverments action to implement the EACH Charter, in particular the right of the child not to be admitted to an adult ward (clause 6), to be cared for by staff trained to care for children (clause 8), and to continuity of care by the team caring for children (clause 9). The surveys from all European Children in Hospital Initiatives, reported to the conference, showed that in some European countries many children and adolescents are cared for in adult wards without appropriately trained children’s staff. With the current economic restrictions, this situation is likely to get worse, and the right of children and young people to receive care “in the best interest of the child” (Article 3.1 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child) will be ignored. EACH and its national member organisations refuse to accept this situation and will actively campaign to remedy this deplorable state of affairs.
Basel, April 20, 1997
Delegations were present from: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Yugoslavia.
1995 RESOLUTION ON ‘CHILDREN IN ADULT WARDS’
Final Resolution of the 4th European Conference of EACH
Held in Chantilly/France from March 21 to March 24, 1995
The focus of attention of EACH and its member organisations for the following two years shall be the continuing problem of children being cared for in hospital with adults. The appropriate place for children in hospital is expressed in point 6 of the Leiden Charter*. This principle is in congruence with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child**.
Chantilly, March 24, 1995
* Point 6 of the Leiden Charter:
Children shall be cared for together with children who have the same developmental needs and shall not be admitted to adult wards. There should be no age restriction for visitors to children in hospital.
** UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
Preamble:
The child by reason of his physical and mental immaturity needs special safeguards and care (as stated in the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, adopted by the General Assembly on 20.11.1959).
Art. 24 (1)
States Parties recognise the right of the child to the enjoyment to the highest attainable standard of health and to the facilities for the treatment and rehabilitation of health. States Parties shall strive to ensure that no child is deprived of his o her right to such health services.
Art. 24 (3)
States Parties shall take all effective and appropriate measures with a view to abolishing traditional practices prejudicial to the health of children.
Attachment: Peg Belson: Relations between Art. 6 of the Leiden Charter and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which was adopted by the General Assembly on 28.11.1989.