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46 CHILDREN’S HEALTH FROM PAGE 45 regular physical activity, obesity prevention, school-based social and emotional learning, and participation in sport and community activities. For those in pharmacy talking to a parent about the various intervention focus points, a range of government initiatives and campaigns support the conversation and provide resources and guidance to the family. One such initiative is ‘Girls Make Your Move’, which is about inspiring, energising and empowering young women to be more active regardless of ethnicity, size or ability. Remember, the range of government health initiatives focused on children’s health does change and it’s essential to keep abreast of developments and new initiatives by following a reliable source of information such as raisingchildren.net.au. How can you help? While the plan sets a national direction for child and youth health in Australia, it’s important to recognise Australia has a system of free, universal services for child and family health, based on the principles of primary healthcare. These services focus on increasing protection and reducing risks that affect the health and wellbeing of children and young people, and offer the opportunity for early identification and referral of those at risk to more specialised services. These services can be delivered through general practice, child and family health nurses, community health centres, allied health services and other dedicated settings, but the starting point for such referrals is often community pharmacy and the wider primary healthcare infrastructure considered to be the gateway to the healthcare system. By asking targeted questions based on the child’s life stage of development and the plan’s suggested risk factors, those in community pharmacy can engage in helpful dialogue with parents and children, leading to the provision of resources, referrals, and meaningful help. Our children need you While researching this feature on children’s health initiatives, I came across the bittersweet story from Orlando, in the US state of Florida, of a waitress whose awareness and quick thinking saved an 11-year-old boy from a life of violence and emotional abuse. It reminded me that children – particularly young children – are entirely dependent on the adults in their lives, whether those adults are good, bad or indifferent. The waitress noticed the boy’s parents failed to order him any food or drink, but they ordered meals for their other child and themselves. When she queried the number of meals being ordered, the father told her the boy would eat later at home. Instinctively, the waitress sensed something was wrong. The boy seemed withdrawn and unnaturally thin, so, after noticing some faded bruising on his face, she decided to act. She stood behind his parents and held up a note asking the boy if he needed help and, after three attempts, each with no reaction from the child, he nodded almost imperceptibly. The waitress then quietly called the police, and today, the boy’s mother and stepfather are in prison, while the boy and his four-year-old sister are being cared for in a foster home. According to the Orlando police report, had the waitress not raised the alarm, the boy may not have survived much longer. Sadly, after 11 years of abuse, patterns and belief systems have been established, and it’s likely the child will have multiple challenges ahead. While child abuse and neglect are extreme examples of the challenges children face, almost every family in Australia needs help at some point. Some don’t even know they need help, while others don’t know how to ask, but every day there are opportunities for pharmacy assistants to help children and their parents when they present in their community pharmacy. Will you know how to help them when they do? Reference: 1. health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/ Content/child-and-youth-action-plan Examples of Australia-wide children’s health initiatives • Get the facts on childhood immunisation – help protect your community: campaigns.health.gov.au/immunisationfacts • Use this website to find inspiration on how to add fruit and vegetables into everyday meals: campaigns.health.gov.au/healthyproduce • Here you will find several different resources for family members and friends to support someone they care about deal with a drug problem: campaigns.health.gov.au/drughelp • The Australian parenting website, supported by the federal government and covering a vast range of parenting resources and advice: raisingchildren.net.au State and territory initiatives Multiple initiatives are also run by all state and territory governments. We recommend keeping track of these through the governments’ web pages. RETAIL PHARMACY ASSISTANTS • FEB 2021