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Bright Futures Children's Health Charter
Throughout this century, principles developed by advocates for children have been the foundation for initiatives to improve children's lives.
Bright Futures participants have adopted these principles to guide their work and meet the unique needs of children and families into the 21st century.
Every child deserves to be born well, to be physically fit and to achieve self-responsibility for good health habits.
- Every child and adolescent deserves ready access to coordinated and comprehensive preventive, health-promoting, therapeutic, and rehabilitative medical, mental health and dental care. Such care is best provided through a continuing relationship with a primary health professional or team and ready access to secondary and tertiary levels of care.
- Every child and adolescent deserves a nurturing family and supportive relationships with other significant persons who provide security, positive role models, warmth, love and unconditional acceptance.
- A child's health begins with the health of his parents.
- Every child and adolescent deserves to grow and develop in a physically and psychologically safe home and school environment free of undue risk of injury, abuse, violence or exposure to environmental toxins.
- Every child and adolescent deserves satisfactory housing, good nutrition, a quality education, an adequate family income, a supportive social network and access to community resources.
- Every child deserves quality childcare when her parents are working outside the home.
- Every child and adolescent deserves the opportunity to develop ways to cope with stressful life experiences.
- Every child and adolescent deserves the opportunity to be prepared for parenthood.
- Every child and adolescent deserves the opportunity to develop positive values and become a responsible citizen in his community.
- Every child and adolescent deserves to experience joy, have high self-esteem, have friends, acquire a sense of efficacy and believe that she can succeed in life. She should help the next generation develop the motivation and habits necessary for similar achievement.
Reference: www.brightfutures.org Bright Futures is sponsored by
MCHB, HRSA and, in part, supported by unrestricted educational grants from Pfizer Pediatric Health. Bright Futures material is produced by NCEMCH and is not copyrighted. Selected Articles from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the
Child Article 2 1. States Parties shall respect and ensure the rights set forth in the present Convention to each child within their jurisdiction without discrimination of any kind, irrespective of the child's or his or her parents’ or legal guardians’ race, color, sex,
language; religion, political or other opinion; national, ethnic or social origin; property, disability, birth or other status. Article 6 2. States Parties shall ensure to the maximum extent possible the survival and development of the child. Article 23 1.
States Parties recognize that a mentally or physically disabled child should enjoy a full and decent life, in conditions that ensure dignity, promote self-reliance and facilitate the child's active participation in the community. 2. States Parties recognize the right of the disabled child to special care and shall encourage and ensure the extension, subject to available resources, to the eligible
child and those responsible for his or her care, of assistance for which application is made and which is appropriate to the child's condition and to the circumstances of the parents or others caring for the child. 3. Recognizing the special needs of a disabled child, assistance extended in accordance with paragraph 2 of the present article shall be provided free of charge whenever possible, taking
into account the financial resources of the parents or others caring for the child, and shall be designed to ensure that the disabled child has effective access to and receives education, training, health care services, rehabilitation services, preparation for employment and recreation opportunities in a manner conducive to the child's achieving the fullest possible social integration and individual
development, including his or her cultural and spiritual development 4. States Parties shall promote, in the spirit of international cooperation, the exchange of appropriate information in the field of preventive health care and of medical, psychological and functional treatment of disabled children, including dissemination of and access to information concerning methods of rehabilitation, education
and vocational services, with the aim of enabling States Parties to improve their capabilities and skills and to widen their experience in these areas. In this regard, particular account shall be taken of the needs of developing countries. Article 24 1. States Parties recognize the right of the child to the
enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health and to facilities for the treatment of illness and rehabilitation of health. States Parties shall strive to ensure that no child is deprived of his or her right of access to such health care services. Article 28 1. States Parties recognize the right of the child to education
and, with a view to achieving this right progressively and on the basis of equal opportunity, they shall, in particular:
- Make primary education compulsory and available free to all;
- Encourage the development of different forms of secondary education, including general and vocational education, make them available and accessible to every child and take appropriate measures such as the introduction of free education and offering financial assistance in case of need;
- Make higher education accessible to all on the basis of capacity by every appropriate means;
- Make educational and vocational information and guidance available and accessible to all children;
- Take measures to encourage regular attendance at schools and the reduction of drop out rates.
Article 29 1. States Parties agree that the education of the child shall be directed to:
- The development of the child's personality, talents and mental and physical abilities to their fullest potential;
Article 31 1. States Parties recognize the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts. 2. States Parties shall respect and promote the right of the child to participate fully in cultural
and artistic life and shall encourage the provision of appropriate and equal opportunities for cultural, artistic, recreational and leisure activity. Reference:
www.unicef.org/crc/crc.htm Accessed January 24, 2001 Selected Healthy People 2010 Goals and
Objectives Goal 1: Increase quality and years of healthy life.
Access to Medical Care
Objective 1-6: Reduce the proportion of families that experience difficulties or delays in obtaining health care or do not receive needed care for one or more family members. Objective 1-15: Increase the proportion of persons with long-term care needs who have access to the continuum of long-term care services.
Disability and Secondary Conditions
Objective 6-1: Include in the core of all relevant Healthy People 2010 surveillance instruments a standardized set of questions that identify "people with disabilities." Objective 6-2: Reduce the proportion of children and adolescents with disabilities who are reported to be sad, unhappy or depressed. Objective
6-4: Increase the proportion of adults with disabilities who participate in social activities. Objective 6-5: Increase the proportion of adults with disabilities reporting sufficient emotional support. Objective 6-6: Increase the proportion of adults with disabilities reporting satisfaction with life. Objective 6-7: Reduce the number of people with disabilities in
congregate care facilities, consistent with permanency planning principles. Target: For persons 21 years and younger–total elimination. Objective 6-9: Increase the proportion of children and youth with disabilities who spend at least 80% of their time in regular education programs. Objective 6-10:
Increase the proportion of health and wellness and treatment programs and
facilities that provide full access for people with disabilities. Objective 6-11: Reduce the proportion of people with disabilities who report not having the assistive devices and technology needed. Objective 6-12: Reduce the proportion of people with disabilities reporting environmental barriers to participation in home, school, work, or community activities. Objective
6-13: Increase the number of Tribes, States, and the District of Columbia that have public health surveillance and health promotion programs for people with disabilities and caregivers.
Maternal, Infant and Child Health
Objective 16-22: Increase the proportion of children with special health care needs who have access to a medical home [for the provision and coordination of care]. Objective 16-23: Increase the proportion of Territories and States that have service systems for children with special health care needs.
Mental Health and Mental Disorders
Objective 18-7: Increase the proportion of children with mental health problems who receive treatment.
Public Health Infrastructure
Objective 23-2: Increase the proportion of Federal, Tribal, State and Local health agencies that have made information available to the public in the past year on the Leading Health Indicators, Health Status Indicators, and Priority Data Needs. Objective 23-5: Increase the proportion of Leading Health Indicators,
Health Status Indicators, and Priority data Needs for which data–especially for select populations–are available at the Tribal, State, and Local levels.
Reference: Accessed January 25, 200; or U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy People 2010. 2nd ed. With Understanding and Improving Health and Objectives for Improving Health. 2 vols. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, November 2000.
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