The Family Advisory Council is dedicated to the continuous development of a positive partnership among parents, children and staff to ensure the needs of children and families are met during their experience at MassGeneral Hospital for Children.
The council comprises nine family members, four hospital leaders and three patient-care staff, who work with hospital leadership and staff to:
- Promote family-centered care, in which the voices of parents and, when appropriate, children are involved in decision-making related to care
- Focus on improved quality in health care, patient satisfaction, and maintaining an attractive environment
- Serve in an advisory role to help hospital leadership plan programs and services valued by patients and families
- Develop educational materials for families
- Serve as a link from the hospital to the community
Individuals at least 16 years of age who have had experience at MassGeneral Hospital for Children are invited to apply for membership on the council. Terms are three years and require various time and commitment levels, depending on the committee’s needs and the candidates’ interests.
For more information about our services, how to get involved, or to apply to become a member, including eligibility and the formal application and selection process, please email FAC@partners.org.
If you would like to submit an application, please use either the PDF or Word document below (the PDF might be more suitable if you want to print and fill out the application by hand and the Word document can be completed on your computer and emailed):
 PDF application. |  Word application. |
Additional opportunities
In addition to the Family Advisory Council, the hospital offers a number of Standing Committee opportunities of varying time commitments for patients and families with specific interests.If you would like to apply for a position on one of these committees, please fill out the application above. You can direct your questions to FAC@partners.org.
| Opportunity | About | Time Committment | Meeting Time/Location |
| Pediatric Pain Subcommittee* | Goal is to explore pain mitigation strategies and techniques and raise awareness of the same in the MGHfC community. | Monthly | 4th Thursday at 11 am, Warren 11 |
| MGHfC Quality & Safety Committee* | Addresses overall themes or issues related to quality and safety. Reviews and proposes changes to clinical policies, modifications to clinical practices and processes that impact quality, reviews med errors, patient sat, etc. | Semi-monthly | 1st, 3rd Thursdays at 11 am |
| Ethics Committee | Reviews cases in which ethics decisions require advice and provides education in ethics to the department | Monthly | 3rd Tuesday 1:30-2:30 pm |
| Pediatric Guide Book Advisory Group | A notebook is being developed for primary care practices to provide useful information to parents and to help them prepare for upcoming well-child visits. | Quarterly | 5:30-7:30 pm |
| Safety Initiative for Pedi Patients (SIPPs) | Collaborative practice/quality and safety committee of the Emergency Department (ED). Group has tackled issues such as developing clinical pathways for neonates presenting to the ED and enhancing collaboration between social service and clinicians. | Semi-monthly | 1st, 3rd Tuesdays at 9 am, Wilkins conference room in Founders One |
| Pedi Palliative Care Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) | Focus on improving the palliative care program at MGHfC. Past work has included planning for Sibshops, and support and recreational groups for siblings of children with chronic illnesses. | Semi-monthly | Mondays at 2 pm, Ellison 17 conference room |
| Transitions Committee* | Discuss transition of older pediatric patients to adult primary care and specialty caregivers, including transition from the pediatric to the adult floors. | Monthly | 3rd Friday at noon |
| Pediatric Quality & Safety "Speak Up" Subcommittee | A campaign to engage of staff (multidisciplinary) and families in the patient safety initiative | TBD |
* Indicates committee already has a parent member. We encourage prospective parent members to choose from the other committees.
