Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Young children often need help from healthcare workers, early childhood programs, and community services to grow up healthy. When these services don't work together well, it can be hard for families, especially those facing social or economic challenges, to get the care they need. Coordinating care is important to help young children and their families, especially those with social or economic challenges, get the support they need. In British Columbia, primary care networks aim to improve how different healthcare teams and community services work together. This research project looked at how care is coordinated for children aged 0 to 8 years old experiencing social or economic difficulties in a rural area of northern British Columbia. Researchers looked at organizational documents and reviewed medical charts of children from birth to 8 years old who had social or economic challenges. They also interviewed 24 people, including parents and caregivers, healthcare workers, and community service providers. The study found out what helps and what makes it hard for different services to work together to care for children. The study's findings can help improve how healthcare providers, families, and community services work together, leading to better connections and teamwork among everyone involved.