» Background
» CAPHC's Mandate
» CAPHC's Role
» Growth Trends
» The Next 5 Years (2007-2011)

Background

CAPHC was established in 2001 through a transformative process of organizational renewal of the Canadian Association of Paediatric Hospitals. This watershed activity was undertaken to respond to member needs arising from emerging healthcare challenges and the shifting landscape of child and youth health service delivery in Canada - child healthcare organizations were undergoing fundamental structural changes.

Today CAPHC is a forty-two member organization representing multidisciplinary health professionals that provide health services for children, youth and their families within: quaternary and tertiary health centres; community health centres; rehabilitation centres; and home care provider agencies nationwide.

All children’s hospitals and their respective Children’s Hospital Foundations in Canada are members of CAPHC, thereby providing linkages to clinical care, education and research. A complete list of CAPHC member organizations can be found here.

» View a comprehensive overview of CAPHC and it's activities! (February 2007 - PDF 1.2 MB)

CAPHC's Mandate

CAPHC’s mandate is to effect system-wide change in the delivery of health services to children and youth across Canada. CAPHC focuses on initiatives that have national and broad relevance, and at the same time are practical and actionable at the point of service delivery.

CAPHC's Role

As a national organization, CAPHC’s role is to:

• Identify emerging health service needs and gaps;
• Address these gaps and needs by facilitating the coordination of working groups and networks within the CAPHC membership and developing partnerships with other organizations;
• Act as a knowledge broker of best and promising practices that inform health services, national standards of care and the policies that affect them; and,
• Advocate on behalf of children, youth and their families to ensure that the needs of this unique population are represented clearly and compellingly at local, regional, provincial/territorial and national levels.

Since 2001, CAPHC has focused its activities on:

• Quality Improvement;
• Promoting Evidence Based Practice and National Standards;
• Knowledge Brokering and Knowledge Translation in Priority Areas; and
• Network and Partnership Development

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Growth Trends - 2001-2006

CAPHC has seen significant growth in all aspects of its operation: memberships; annual revenue; national programs; annual conference activities; and attendance as well as partnership and network development.

Growth Trends: Membership

Growth Trends: Annual Conference

The Next Five Years (2007 – 2011)

CAPHC has now laid the foundation for long-term collaborations in key health service delivery areas. This is predicated on the understanding that relevance, timeliness and good working relationships are critical factors for success.

Over the next five years CAPHC will continue to identify emerging issues and show responsive leadership by enhancing current collaborations and developing new national linkages and partnerships.

CAPHC has created a significant portfolio of priority projects based on its partnership and network development to date. In addition, CAPHC has been a leader in engaging family advocacy groups to have a voice and leadership role in may of our national programs. These initiatives are in various phases of development and implementation and require significant coordination. In some cases, national priorities have been identified and next steps call for the convening of multi-stakeholder working groups to develop national strategies. Other initiatives are in the beginning phase of implementation and require ongoing facilitation and a knowledge dissemination strategy.

Going forward, CAPHC will continue to scan the environment for emerging issues; consult with its constituency regarding its needs; and seek new partnerships to enhance current initiatives and develop new initiatives to advance child and youth health service delivery.