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Advocacy

Advocacy represents an active and potentially effective way for SECH to focus attention on the needs and rights of children and their families.  Developing a solid, creative, courageous and effective capacity for communicating the informed opinions of its membership represents an important contribution SECH can make toward the improvement of the health and well being of children in the US and abroad.

Within the organization, advocacy is conducted in numerous forms, utilizing a variety of communication methods and emerging technology.  SECH advocacy efforts use the following tools:

• Position papers

• Petitions or letter writing campaigns

• Personal communications via telephone, fax, e-mail, and face-to-face meetings.

Position Papers

A position paper represents the official, collective opinion of the SECH membership on a relevant topic.  A position statement is drafted by a SECH member or other interested individual.  Following favorable review, the statement is adopted or accepted by the organization as its “official” position.

Position papers are used to educate and inform professional colleagues, elected officials and other community leaders.  Position papers catalyze and mobilize professional, community and other endeavors.

SECH publicizes and distributes its position papers through:

• posting on the SECH website

• mailing to targeted organizations

• submission to newspapers, magazines and journals for publication

• distribution to broadcast, on-line and other media outlets, and/or

• presentation at professional conferences and public meetings.

Although size will be appropriate to the intended purpose of the advocacy effort, position papers will in general be 1-3 type-written pages (single space).

Identification of Advocacy Issues

SECH will advocate on behalf of children and families in support of child rights and well-being and health equity.  Within these broadly-defined areas are important subjects whose potential for study and evaluation as position papers should be considered and pursued.  Examples of critical contemporary issues include:

• Children and Global Warming.  Determine the effects of climate change on children and how to catalyze growth of the health professional and youth movements to challenge global warming.

• Incarcerated children.  Examine and analyze the number of children who are incarcerated in this and other countries, the reasons for their incarceration, the programs available to them, and their post-incarceration histories. 

• Education.  Identify the characteristics of successful educational programs grades K-12 and develop strategies to integrate these principles into practice.

• Child friendly places.  Making communities/cities child friendly remains a described but thus far unrealized organizational idea.  Why is it not yet happening in the U.S.?  What can be done to develop child friendly cities in the U.S.?

• Immigrant and refugee children.  The saga facing immigrant and refugee children throughout the world, including the U.S., demands inquiry and advocacy.  

These represent merely a few of the countless issues facing children and their families for which advocacy is ineffective or sorely lacking.  Providing an effective and efficient method for developing advocacy and position papers is an important requirement for SECH to increasingly exert itself as a voice for children.

Process of Developing a Position Paper

In order for policy statements to become the position of the organization, it is necessary to have a formal, but efficient vetting process.  The following is an outline of this process.

1. Subject Selection. SECH members and other interested individuals identify a subject that could form a powerful basis for a policy statement and submit it to the Advocacy Committee as directed on the SECH website. 

2. Leadership.  The Advocacy Committee accepts or declines the recommended topic.  For each accepted topic, the Committee designates a leader(s) who will guide its development from concept to position paper.  The leader may be the individual who proposed the idea.  The Advocacy Committee may recruit position paper leaders and writers.

3. Draft Position Paper.  The leader, either alone or with assistance, drafts the position paper and submits it to the Advocacy Committee for review and approval.

4. Review and Approval. The Advocacy Committee reviews and critiques the draft and works with the leader to finalize the position paper.  The Advocacy Committee will engage multiple SECH members in its deliberations and vetting process.  Once it has approved the position paper, the Advocacy Committee forwards it to the SECH Board of Directors for final approval.

5. Distribution.  The approved position paper is posted on the SECH website and otherwise disseminated.

Society for Equity in Child Health
Jeffrey Goldhagen, MD,  President
555 Bishopgate Lane   ©   Jacksonville, FL 32204
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