Professional practice and innovation: identifying and flagging children and young people under state guardianship on...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Informatics
• Child Welfare

Background:

• Children under state guardianship often have complex health needs.
• Effective identification is crucial for timely health interventions.
• Partnerships between health services and child welfare agencies are vital.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify children under state guardianship within the Women's and Children's Hospital (WCH) Patient Administration System (PAS).
• To facilitate a priority health response for improved child health and wellbeing.
• To ensure all children under guardianship receive necessary treatment and follow-up.

Main Methods:

• A data matching trial was conducted between Women's and Children's Hospital (WCH) and Families South Australia (SA).
• 1,683 children under guardianship were identified by Families SA.
• Data were compared against the WCH PAS for patient registration.

Main Results:

• 72% (n=1,212) of children under guardianship matched existing WCH PAS records.
• 28% (n=471) did not have prior registration.
• Unregistered children were added to the PAS for future care management.

Conclusions:

• The data matching trial successfully identified a significant proportion of children under guardianship within the WCH system.
• Proactive registration of previously unregistered children ensures they can receive appropriate care.
• This collaboration enhances healthcare delivery for vulnerable children.