Small Tools, Big Impact: Bringing The Voice of The Child into Rehabilitation
When a child experiences a life-changing injury, rehabilitation is more than just clinical expertise and a case manager is more than just a case manager. Rehabilitation for children and young people starts with understanding who that child is, what matters to them, and how they see the world. At Bush & Co Kids, this ethos is central to our children and young people’s service, where the ‘voice of the child’ is embedded throughout every stage of support and rehabilitation.
Children and young people are not passive recipients of care — they are active participants. Rehabilitation is most effective when children feel heard, understood, and involved in decision-making.
Because of this our service is built around:
- Advocacy and empowerment
- Age-appropriate communication
- Holistic wellbeing (not just physical recovery)
- Partnership with families and wider support networks
At Bush & Co Kids, we use a range of age-appropriate methods to capture the voice of the child, through bespoke child-centred materials whether that be tools to share important information about themselves, their feelings and their goals or child friendly surveys for them to feed back about the support they are receiving.
We also appreciate that case management can sometimes feel overwhelming and a case manager is just another new professional coming into a child’s home, reminding them that life isn’t what it used to be. It’s important that children and young people get to know their case manager as a person and not a professional, all whilst staying within professional boundaries.
Our ‘All About Me’ factsheet is written just for the child or young person. It’s far removed from the case manager’s CV, which focuses on their clinical skills, experience as a case manager and ability to support them, and instead aims to help build rapport and remove anxieties so that they trust their case manager and feel part of their own rehabilitation journey.
What Are ‘All About Me' Fact Sheets?
For a child navigating recovery, uncertainty can be one of the biggest sources of anxiety. At Bush & Co Kids we are committed to ensuring children feel safe, understood and involved in their rehabilitation. The fact sheets play a key role in reducing this by:
- Providing clarity about who is involved in their care
- Normalising the experience of having a case manager
- Creating familiarity before or during early interactions
- Encouraging trust through openness and transparency
Our ‘All About Me’ fact sheets answer the kinds of questions children naturally have, such as:
- Who are you?
- What makes you happy?
- What don’t you like?
- What do you do?
- How will you help me?
By presenting this information in a simple, engaging format, these fact sheets break down barriers and make professional roles feel more human and approachable.
They are designed to appeal to the curious nature of children answering questions that help build relationships. They also act as a conversation tool and a way for the case manager to spark conversations and assess the child and what interests them.
Sara Bond, Case Manager and Social Worker, regularly uses her All About Me factsheet to do just that.
“As a case manager, I learn so much about the lives of my clients; it feels really nice when they are able to learn something about me.
“I recently used my factsheet with a 14 year old at an Immediate Needs Assessment. It was a great conversation starter as we got onto the subject that I am vegan and he found it very funny that I could be a vegan and not like celery! This fact kept coming back into the conversation with him and his mum throughout the visit and definitely helped build rapport. The factsheet was a fabulous visual prompt for me and the client and kept the discussions light and fun, meaning there was less pressure and anxiety throughout my assessment of him.”
Strengthening Relationships with Families
While the fact sheets are designed for children, their impact extends to families as well. When parents and carers see that their child is being spoken to directly — and in a way they can understand — it builds confidence in the professionals involved.
This transparency supports:
- Stronger family engagement
- Improved trust in the rehabilitation process
- Better alignment between professionals and caregivers
Given the complex dynamics often involved in paediatric cases, this foundation of trust is essential.
A Small Tool with a Big Impact
At first glance, an ‘All About Me’ fact sheets might seem like a simple idea. But in practice, it represents something much bigger: a commitment to making children comfortable with their own care.
By combining clinical expertise with empathy, creativity, and clear communication, we ensure that effective case management is not just about coordinating services - it’s about building relationships and empowering young people.
You can find more information about our children and young people case managers as well as more ‘All About Me’ profiles here: Bush & Co Kids Case Managers - Bush & Co