About us

The Queensland Child and Youth Clinical Network (QCYCN) connects health professionals, services, and systems across Queensland to improve the safety and quality of health care.

We also offer clinical expertise and advice to our network, Queensland Health and other Queensland government departments and agencies to:

  • help develop new models of care and clinical guidelines and frameworks
  • identify statewide health care issues and trends
  • improve health care service planning, research and education.

Our network has over 1000 members including:

  • general practitioners
  • nurses and midwives
  • paediatric medical specialists
  • allied health professionals
  • child and family advocates and consumers
  • social workers and community care providers
  • government policymakers and advisors
  • researchers
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives.

We also have members from non-government organisations including charities, community groups and private companies who work in the healthcare industry.

View our resources, read our supporting statewide child and youth clinical service improvement guide or watch our introductory video to learn more about our work.

Watch
02:41

This is Ruby. Over the course of her childhood, Ruby and her family might meet many different clinicians working in health services anywhere in Queensland.

Luckily for Ruby, the Queensland Child and Youth Clinical Network links clinicians and their teams from north to south and east to west. So no matter where a child lives in this vast state, there are health professionals working together, to make sure children receive innovative seamless and evidence-based health care both near to home or far away.

Network membership includes health professionals and others; from nursing, allied health, medical, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and research and consumer streams. We actively partner with and encourage membership from other government agencies such as education and communities, primary health networks, private practitioners and non-government organisations.

The network puts children and their families at the center of everything we do. Clinicians working together to help Ruby, her friends and her family have the best possible start to life.

If you're a clinician helping Queensland kids, the network can help you find and share practical information to enhance your role. The network can also hook you into a wide range of clinicians and researchers who are keen to share their work with you.

For more information and to join the network search Queensland Child and Youth Clinical network or visit our website.

Our vision

To champion the health and wellbeing of Queensland infants, children, young people and their families and carers.

Our mission

  • Elevate the infant, child and young person health agenda
  • Collaborate and link cross sectors to influence service systems
  • Identify and harness statewide clinical expertise through development of research and promoting clinical excellence and models of care
  • Provide support and leadership to empower health and other professionals working with infants, children and young people

Our strategic priorities

  • Advocating child and family centred practice, innovative models of care and a holistic approach to health care
  • Connecting hospital and health services, health systems, policymakers, external health providers and other organisations which impact health and wellbeing
  • Empowering clinicians through leadership, mentoring and support
  • Influencing systems and policy to encompass the infant, child, and young person health agenda
  • Translating evidence into clinical practice.

Our leadership

  • Dr Clare Thomas, Co-chair
  • Dr Rachael Beswick, Co-chair

The QCYCN is led by our Co-chairs and the Clinician Collaborative. The collaborative is a multidisciplinary group of senior clinicians from across Queensland who are leaders in their field or specialty. They provide strategic direction and specialist clinical advice. Read our clinician collaborative terms of reference or our organisational structure to learn more about how we work.

Become a member

Join us and help improve health care for children and young people. Membership is free for:

  • health professionals and clinicians
  • consumer and family advocates
  • researchers
  • non-government and private organisations that work with children and young people.

As a member, you'll have opportunities to get involved in our working groups to share your expertise and experience with our network. You'll also receive our monthly newsletter and have access to our annual forum.

Fill in our online form to join. We will email you to confirm your membership.

Subnetworks and Working Groups

We have 8 subnetworks and working groups that provide research, advocacy and help develop new models of care in different clinical areas.

To view our terms of reference or for more information about any of our subnetworks, please email qldchildandyouthnetwork@health.qld.gov.au.

Child Health Subnetwork

The Child Health Subnetwork (CHSN) platform is for clinicians to share learnings and best practice care to guide child health improvements in community settings.

Key publications

If you're referring a patient to the nurse navigator or connected care program read our referral guide part 1 and part 2 for help.

Child Development Subnetwork

The Child Development Subnetwork (CDSN) platform is for clinicians to share learnings and best practice care to guide improvements in child development in community settings.

Key publications

You can also read our Role of trauma in child development diagnostics position statement or watch our Using a trauma lens in child development video.

Child Development Trauma Hub

We have a collaboration channel to help support clinicians provide trauma informed care to children and families.

If you work for Queensland Health, you can join the Child Development Trauma Hub using your Queensland Health email. If you work outside Queensland Health, you can make a request to join by filling in our online form.

Books

Adolescent and Young Adult Subnetwork

We work with clinicians and youth representatives to increase awareness of adolescent and young adult (AYA) health care needs. Our goal is to improve care and support services for young people between 12 and 25. We also provide expert advice to government on statewide AYA care priorities.

AYA Innovation Hub

We have a collaboration channel for adolescent and young adult health and mental health professionals to access and share AYA information and resources.

If you work for Queensland Health, you can join the AYA Innovation Hub using your Queensland Health email.  If you work outside Queensland Health, you can make a request to join by filling in our online form.

Key publications

You can also watch our innovation showcase, AYA health care explained and Quality AYA care – consumer perspectives videos on the Clinical Excellence Queensland Vimeo channel.

Digital Child Health Subnetwork

The Digital Child Health Subnetwork (DCHS) is a network for child health clinicians to collaborate on improving digital technology and child health care.

School Based Youth Health Nurse Subnetwork

The School Based Youth Health Sub Network (SBYHSN) is a platform that connects school based nurses across Queensland. SBYHSN helps nurses share ideas to help improve health issues, awareness and wellbeing for young people in state secondary schools. Read our subnetwork fact sheet to learn more.

Queensland Paediatric Palliative Care, Haematology and Oncology Subnetwork

The Queensland Paediatric Palliative Care, Haematology, and Oncology Subnetwork (QPPHON) oversees, supports, and improves health services for children in Queensland and northern New South Wales. QPPHON's main goal is to make sure that children in palliative care or who have cancer or blood disorders get the best care possible. QPPHON also helps rural and remote health care services outside Brisbane so children can get quality health care closer to home.

Paediatric Palliative Care Working Group

Providing the best care for children and young people with life limiting conditions involves many teams and caregivers working together. The Paediatric Palliative Care Working Group (PPCWG) helps connect health professionals and palliative care experts across Queensland. PPCWG’s work helps make sure children and young people with life limiting conditions get quality, evidenced based and family centred care.

Read the care plan for the dying child resources on the Clinical Excellence Queensland website for more information.

Family centred care work

You can use our resources to promote family centred care in any health setting.

Key publications

Resources

Posters for health professionals to use to promote the principles of family-centred care.

Read our supporting document to learn more about how the posters were developed and adapted.

Low benefit care

Key publications

Resources

Our partners

We work with a range of paediatric health care groups and organisations including:

Annual forum

We host a yearly forum for members and non-members. The forum brings infant, child and youth health care professionals together to:

  • discuss and advocate for health services and systems across the state
  • improve the safety and quality of health care for infants, children and youth
  • showcase successful initiatives that have made life changing differences for infants, children and youth in Queensland.

Forum presentations

Watch video presentations from our previous forums on the Clinical Excellence Queensland Vimeo channel.

Last updated: October 2024