Established in 2004, the Canadian Child & Youth Health Coalition (CCYHC) is a collaboration of eight major national organizational and program members working together with a common vision to advance the cause of child and youth health and health care in Canada. The current membership of CCYHC includes the:

• Canadian Association of Paediatric Health Centres (CAPHC);
• Canadian Child Health Clinician Scientist Program (CCHCSP);
• Canadian Family Advisory Network (CFAN);
• Council of Canadian Child Health Research (CCCHR);
• Maternal, Infant, Child, & Youth Research Network (MICYRN);
• National Infant, Child, & Youth Mental Health Consortium (The Consortium));
• Paediatric Chairs of Canada (PCC); and,
• Pediatric Surgical Chiefs of Canada (PSCC)

While each organization/program holds distinct mandates, the Coalition members share many common goals and objectives. The Coalition firmly believes that the synergistic strength gained through formal collaboration on jointly established strategic priorities provides a strong vehicle for achieving more in identified areas of concern than individual member organizations can accomplish independently. Together, Coalition members can build on their respective mandates by addressing common priorities from a comprehensive perspective.

The collective mandate of the CCYHC is to advance the health and health care of Canada’s children and youth by providing a powerful framework for the stimulation of new knowledge development, the promotion of knowledge uptake/application to practice and policy, the support of training and education initiatives, and the strengthening of national advocacy. By engaging a broad range of constituents and stakeholders across the continuum of child and youth health, CCYHC has amassed unprecedented capacity and expertise to formulate, facilitate, implement and evaluate national initiatives and programs to address the pressing issues confronting the health of our youngest citizens.

The Coalition has established the following six overall goals to guide its work:

1. Ensure rapid and efficient development of new knowledge through research in areas of national importance to the health and well-being of children and youth;
2. Facilitate and support the application of evidence-based practice and policy;
3. Stimulate the development and evaluation of models of practice, quality care and safety, supporting efficient, effective, and accessible systems of child and youth health care;
4. Develop and sustain excellence in transdisciplinary child and youth health education, research and training;
5. Advocate on national child and youth health, healthcare and policy issues that will benefit from the collective expertise and influence of the Coalition and inform policy; and
6. Actively seek out new partners to strengthen the coalition’s capacity to achieve its goals.
   

Building on the combined strengths of its many partnerships, the CCYHC has made significant progress towards achieving its objectives within the context of several key initiatives and programs. For example:

Child and Youth Health Indicators Development Program
Maternal, Infant, Child, and Youth Research Network (MICYRN)
National Paediatric Surgical Wait Times Strategy
Health Human Resource Strategy

In addition to the identification and development of specific national priorities and strategies, the Coalition also works in an advocacy role to provide support and feedback to several child and youth related initiatives on a national level.

Advocacy Activities

The Canadian Child & Youth Health Coalition is a collaborative and consensus-driven organization representing the interests of the entire child and youth health care community. The activities of the Coalition thus far have demonstrated what can be accomplished on a national level by willing and passionate individuals and organizations. The CCYHC will capitalize on this capacity, enthusiasm, and momentum as it continues to develop and expand its membership and scope of activity in the coming years.

CCYHC is supported by a generous three-year operating grant from the SickKids Foundation National Grants Program and by smaller contributions from each of its member organizations. The Coalition is governed by a Steering Committee comprised of representatives from each of the eight members and is coordinated by a small Secretariat located in Ottawa.