Final Report > Chapter 29: The Care of Children > Leadership of children's healthcare services

Leadership of children's healthcare services

33 Children are a vulnerable group. They lack the means to speak up for themselves in the complex world of healthcare. It falls to adults, therefore, to protect their interests. If adults fail to do so, they fail the children to whom they owe a duty of care and who have rights which demand protection.

34 We come back to the question, who provides leadership for children's healthcare services? Currently, there is no single, influential, unifying voice, with political influence or power, which serves as an advocate for children's needs. Rather, at best, there is a loose network of institutions, voluntary organisations and individuals, often from within the healthcare professions specialising in children's health, which put the case for greater value to be accorded to children's healthcare services. Sadly, these have little or no power systematically to bring about change. We comment on the need for this to change, on the need to take up the cause of children's healthcare, in the paragraphs which follow.