AAPCH
The Australian Association of Parenting and Child Health (AAPCH) is an international organisation of key agencies in Australia and New Zealand providing early parenting education, guidance and support for professionals working with families and young children.
CHILD SAFE COMMITMENT STATEMENT
Our organisation is committed to safe, respectful, and empowering environments for children and young people. We embed child safety and wellbeing in our culture, guided by the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, ensuring children’s voices are heard, families are engaged, diversity is respected, and robust systems prevent harm and respond effectively.
AAPCH plays a vital role in supporting families to raise healthy, emotionally attuned and resilient children. We affirm our collective commitment to person centred care (PCC). This approach complements family partnership principles and recognises that children, parents and carers.as active participants in care and support. This paper outlines our position on PCC as a foundational framework for delivering inclusive, effective and equitable parenting services
As the needs of families globally grow more diverse our health care systems must evolve to reflect and respect these changes. Person- Centred Care is not a new concept, but it is increasingly essential in ensuring parenting services remain responsive, culturally safe equitable and outcome driven. PCC places the individual’s values, preferences, strengths and experiences at the heart of every interaction (Australian Commission on Safety & Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC, 2019).
DEFINITION
Person-Cantered Care is a holistic approach that emphasises:
- Respect and dignity: Recognising each person’s unique background, family structure, culture, and parenting journey.
- Partnership and communication: Building collaborative relationships between practitioners and families.
- Choice and autonomy: Empowering families to make informed decisions about parenting strategies and services to support best child and family health outcomes (Epstein et al., 2010).
- Cultural responsiveness: Understanding, respecting and integrating diverse cultural perspectives into care (Dudgeon et al., 2017).
Implications to AAPCH
PCC strengthens outcomes in these areas by:
- Enhancing engagement and trust between service providers and families.
- Supporting tailored interventions that reflect the realities of family life.
- Promoting self-efficacy in parents and carers (Bandura, 1997).
- Reducing systemic barriers for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, migrant communities, and parents and family members with disabilities (Commonwealth of Australia, 2021).
Alignment with National Policies
PCC is consistent with major Australian clinical frameworks, including:
- The National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2021–2031 (Commonwealth of Australia, 2021)
- National Agreement on Closing the Gap (Coalition of Peaks & Australian Government, 2020)
- The Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights (ACSQHC, 2020)
- NDIS Quality and Safeguards Framework (NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, 2021)
These frameworks advocate for services that are trauma-informed, strengths-based, and co-designed with families and communities, with the child at the forefront of all planning and decision-making
Key Principles for Implementation
AAPCH is committed to:
- Listening first: Using active listening to understand their background, needs and goals of each family.
- Inclusive design: Involving parents, carers, and children in service planning and evaluation.
- Capacity-building: Providing training for staff on PCC, cultural safety, trauma-informed practice, and family diversity.
- Data-driven improvement: Collecting family feedback and outcome data to refine care delivery.
- Systemic equity: Addressing structural inequalities that limit access to appropriate quality care (Tilbury & Osmond, 2006).
Implementing PCC requires investment, flexibility, and a shift from a service-led to a family-led model. Key challenges include workforce training, time constraints, and the complexity of multi-agency collaboration. However, the opportunities—stronger family outcomes, reduced service disengagement, and more efficient support systems—far outweigh these challenges (Moore et al., 2017).
Our Call to Action
We urge all parenting service providers, government partners, and sector stakeholders to:
- Adopt a Person-Centered Charter in parenting service delivery.
- Support evolving co-design initiatives that include diverse family voices.
- Invest in ongoing professional development aligned with PCC principles.
- Ensure measurement and accountability for person-centered outcomes.
Conclusion
Person-Centred Care is a guiding compass for high-quality, equitable parenting services. It honours the knowledge, strengths, and values of families, while enabling service providers to deliver more effective and compassionate support. As a sector, we commit to embedding PCC in every interaction, policy, and program we deliver.
References
Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. (2019). Person-centred care: What it means and how to put it into practice. https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/
Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. (2020). Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights (second edition). https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/publications-and-resources
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W.H. Freeman.
Coalition of Peaks & Australian Government. (2020). National Agreement on Closing the Gap. https://www.closingthegap.gov.au/
Commonwealth of Australia. (2021). National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2021–2031. https://www.dss.gov.au/
Dudgeon, P., Milroy, H., & Walker, R. (Eds.). (2017). Working together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health and wellbeing principles and practice (2nd ed.). Commonwealth of Australia.
Epstein, R. M., Fiscella, K., Lesser, C. S., & Stange, K. C. (2010). Why the nation needs a policy push on patient-centered health care. Health Affairs, 29(8), 1489–1495. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2009.0888
Moore, T., McDonald, M., McHugh-Dillon, H., & West, S. (2017). Community engagement: A key strategy for improving outcomes for Australian families. Australian Institute of Family Studies.
NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. (2021). NDIS Quality and Safeguards Framework. https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au/
Tilbury, C., & Osmond, J. (2006). Permanency planning in foster care: A research review and guidelines for practitioners. Australian Social Work, 59(3), 265–280. https://doi.org/10.1080/03124070600833055