if medication is needed to treat your child, you will be visited by one of the hospital pharmacists who will order and confirm the medications recommended by the specialists. They also check that doses are correct for your child’s condition and consider all the medications they may need since sometimes one medication might interfere with another. They can also help organise medications for discharge if your child requires them, and teach you how to mix them up or give them to your child if the medication is a bit complicated. If your child takes medication regularly at home, it is a good idea to bring it to hospital so that the nurses, doctors and pharmacists can make sure your child receives the correct type of medication and doses.

look after the emotional and social wellbeing of the children and families who come to the hospital. Having a child in hospital is stressful. It helps when someone outside of the family is aware of the impact that illness and hospitalisation can have on children and their families.. Social workers work within a range of clinical teams to provide a range of support services

They try to lessen the impact of illness and hospital treatment on children and families, promote health outcomes, and link children and families with appropriate support services in their community.

provide assessment, treatment and advice for children and young people up to 18 years who have difficulty with their everyday activities. They assist your child to develop the skills they need.

The Occupational Therapist will discuss the difficulties your child is having and will ask you about any relevant medical history and about your child’s development (eg, at what age your child walked and talked). Your child’s skills will be assessed through observation and formal testing. The Occupational Therapist will discuss the assessment results with you and if required, make a therapy plan with you.

give you and your child expert nutrition and dietary advice, especially if your child requires nutrition-based treatment. In Australia, dietitians aren’t the same as nutritionists. Dietitians have different qualifications from nutritionists, and not all nutritionists are university trained. But you might find that dietitians are sometimes called ‘nutritionists’, depending on their area of work. Dietitians work with other health care professionals to provide a holistic approach to patient care. For example, they might work with doctors, nurses, speech pathologists, occupational therapists and psychologists.

help with speech, language and literacy difficulties. They can also help with feeding or swallowing problems. A speech pathologist can help children develop their ability to communicate. Speech pathologists help people find the best way to communicate to meet their needs. This might include strategies to improve how clearly or fluently they speak. It might also include forms of assisted communication, like signs, symbols and gestures. Speech pathologists also help children who have trouble feeding, as well as children and adults who have difficulties with swallowing food and drink.

help with learning, behaviour, emotions or mental health.Psychologists are experts in the ways people think, feel, behave and learn. Most psychologists work directly with people who are dealing with mental or emotional difficulties – for example, when someone has anxiety or depression or is experiencing stress. They also work with people who are going through challenges in life, like parenting or relationship problems. Psychologists use various therapies and approaches to help people. They don’t prescribe medicines. If a psychologist thinks a child might need medicine, they can refer the child to a psychiatrist or paediatrician.

support, educate and empower children and young people through their health care journey. Child life therapists try to reduce the stress, pain and anxiety that can be associated with being in hospital. Child life therapists show children play and other strategies to cope with preparing for and undergoing procedures. In partnership with children and families these coping strategies can be developed to improve lifelong outcomes.

help children improve their movement, help an injury get better, or get back into physical activity after injury. Physiotherapists often work with children with developmental or physical disabilities. Paediatric physiotherapists will want you to be involved in your child’s sessions and treatment planning. They’ll probably also give you activities to do with your child at home. Good communication with families is very important to paediatric physiotherapists.

help improve social and communication skills.For people who can’t easily communicate, music therapy can be a way of communicating and interacting. Instead of using words to communicate, people can use a range of musical activities like singing, playing instruments, improvising, songwriting and listening to music. Therapists can also use musical activities to teach new skills. This happens by pairing new skills with their own musical cues. Once children have learned the skills, they no longer need the cues. The cues are gradually phased out until the skills happen by themselves. Music therapists often work with speech, occupational and physiotherapists.