We stand up for children's rights in hospital!

The Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at Ulm University Hospital (UKU) is committed to the international EACH Charter (European Association for Children in Hospital). It sets out in ten articles the requirements that a hospital must fulfil in order to protect the rights of children during medical care.

Children have very specific needs and wishes. In order not to impair their development and well-being, they have a right to have their needs taken into account in an age-appropriate manner. It is part of the self-image of the Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at Ulm University Hospital to create conditions in which patients feel comfortable and receive holistic, age-appropriate care. With our clear commitment to the EACH Charter, we give special expression to this self-image. The articles of the charter range from the right to privacy, age-appropriate communication and a child-friendly environment to the right to be accompanied by a carer.

Children are not small adults

Treatment or a longer stay in hospital are unfamiliar situations that are often associated with worries and fears for children. The paediatric clinic's psychological service helps patients to make their time in hospital as stress-free as possible and with as little psychological strain as possible. This is because the paediatric clinic has a holistic understanding of health. Psychological and social factors, which are also reflected in the EACH Charter, are also taken into account in diagnostics and therapy. In order to raise awareness of these rights among children and parents and to communicate their implementation in the clinic, our psychological service has colourfully illustrated the ten children's rights and translated them into simple language.

 

The EACH Charter: Strong rights for strong children

In 1988, twelve international child and hospital initiatives drew up ten articles on the rights of sick children and adolescents. When the umbrella organisation EACH was founded, the articles were renamed the EACH Charter and have since been recognised by leading medical and care associations.

The EACH Charter supports and recognises the rights of the child as set out in the UN Convention. In particular, the requirement that the best interests of the child must be a primary consideration in all actions (Art. 3). The EACH Charter also refers to General Comment No. 15 (2013) of the UN Council on the Rights of the Child (UN CRC) on the right of the child to the highest attainable standard of health (Art. 24) and General Comment No. 4 (2003) on the health and development of adolescents.

Do you know your rights?

The Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine would like to raise awareness of children's rights among children and parents and communicate their implementation in the clinic. In this way, uncertainties and fears that may arise in connection with a hospitalisation can be alleviated. The children can use a quiz to playfully explore their personal rights. Texts and motifs relating to children's rights must be correctly assigned. Those who know their rights well will also find the answer at the end.

Further information