A practical guide to help professionals support parents of children with medical complexities.

Families of children and youth with medical complexities experience tremendous social, emotional and economic stresses.

This website contains evidence-based knowledge and promising practices that care professionals can use to help support these families address such pressures.

Changing Your Lens also outlines how an organization can start a support program for families, based on a program at CHEO — a pediatric health and research centre in Ottawa — that was co-designed and is co-led by parents.

We encourage professionals to use this website to build capacity in their own organizations.

Supporting emotional and physical health for parents

Finances and employment

Reducing social isolation

Respite for parents

Build your program

Acknowledgments:

This website was built as a team effort from Navigator Program members at CHEO and Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre, with support from Children's Healthcare Canada and many contributors from across Canada.

We’d like to thank Dr. Shauna Kingsnorth and the team at Bloorview Research Institute for giving us permission to use selected summaries of sources from their scoping review.  All summaries extracted from this publication are highlighted in their respective entries.

Information published on this website is provided for information and educational purposes only. This website does not provide medical advice. Reference to or mention of specific products, processes or services do not constitute or imply a recommendation or endorsement. For full disclaimer, see CHEO's disclaimer page.