Statements by Senators

After a child is diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, Australian families and these children find themselves in a world of unknowns, unsure about what will happen next or how to best support their child. I'm very pleased to see that Arthritis Australia has been working on resources to put in place a juvenile idiopathic arthritis consumer care guide. As someone who lives with psoriatic arthritis, which is indeed one of the kinds of arthritis included in what children can get, I understand the importance of these kinds of resources, guidance and advice.

The guide was codesigned with parents of juvenile idiopathic arthritis warriors, as we like to call them, and their families. It includes useful information about every stage of the disease, what to expect, tips for every age and extra resources for more information and support because we want to see people with arthritis, especially young people, supported to improve their health and wellbeing, which can, with the right care, resources and medical innovation, see people's outcomes and children's outcomes dramatically improve.

The key to this is, of course, making informed decisions throughout your care journey. For some families, the time line of this referral to diagnosis and treatment has been way too long, and so I am really pleased to see the hardworking team at Arthritis Australia work with these families to make great strides in advocating for greater support for these children with this debilitating— (Time expired).