When we think of attachment, we typically imagine a mother in a rocking chair singing a lullaby to her baby. This is not attachment. Attachment occurs when the child is distressed and the adult is attending to the child's needs. Just as the brain develops in response to stimulation, the attachment system must be stimulated to develop. When this does not happen, chemical, physical, and anatomical changes can occur in the brain that can cause permanent damage. Many parents truly want to be good parents, but if they did not receive adequate stimulation or if they were exposed to horrific events - such as witnessing domestic violence, which can cause permanent brain damage as early as three months of age - they literally may lack the potential to change, despite the willingness. This means that it's dead wrong to blame parents for behaviours that interfere with their children's attachment systems, as dead wrong as it is to blame their children for having unhealthy attachment systems.   -- Diane Benoit, Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto), "Attachment Across the Developmental Stages (I)"

Statistics Canada is unaware of how many children are in need of palliative care; there are only death statistics. Palliative care is not a guaranteed right for childrenĄ­. In developing nations, palliative care is assumed to be too expensive and sophisticated for poor people, but the opposite is true.   -- Youth Participant, reporting on "Global Challenges in the Management of Childhood Pain"

Drug therapy is the second most expensive aspect of health care (behind hospitals and ahead of physician care). The past decade has seen an 8 to 10 percent increase in drug costs. This gives rise to questions about cost effectiveness.

The introduction of antibiotics and vaccines in the early to mid-20th century caused a paradigm shift in medical care. While improved public hygiene played a role, it's indisputable that mortality declines related to drug therapies were nothing less than spectacular: by 1998, there had been a 99.7 percent decrease in mortality of children under 19.

What is costly about many diseases has changed. Just 30 years ago, the treatment for asthma was hospitalization. Today, most treatment takes place in emergency rooms, ambulatory clinics, and at home. The cost of treating asthma with drugs in 1990 was $504 million. It seems high, but given increased rates of asthma, we must ask how much higher it would be if drugs had not made routine hospitalization unnecessary. Yes, we need to cut back on antibiotic use, and novel medical therapies are costly. But on the whole, drug treatments for most childhood illnesses are very cost effective.   -- Michael Reider, "Drug Cost Effectiveness"

It is unbelievable as a citizen to witness when a society is being asked to participate in setting priorities   -- Raul Mercer, Centre for Studies of State and Society, commenting on "Canada's National Action Plan for Children - Partner Dialogue"

There are still too many children living in poverty, too many dropping out of school, too many unable to fulfill their incredible potential. Every one is one too many. Aboriginal people have a special place for children. Every dollar spent, every effort made for a child means that Aboriginal people are building self-government, one child at a time.   -- Ethel Blondin-Andrew, Secretary of State (Children and Youth), Canada, "Promise of Science"

A major issue for parents is money, either to stay home from work and care for their children or hire expert caregivers. This is sometimes supported by large companies and unions, but in a company of 100 employees, what are parents to do? Many single parents are forced to live on welfare in order to care for their children with disabilities. There is also pressure on parents to put more labels on their children in order to get more services

But it's not always about money. Sometimes, parents need no more than the flexibility to take a few hours off work to take their child to an appointment. Other times, instead of putting money into medical professionals, it could go to building capacity within communities to provide services for families of children with disabilities. This could create a substantial legacy.   -- Participant discussion, "Improving Homecare for Families Nationwide"

People tend to shy away from the world 'play.' It is seen as trivial. Yet play is critical, not only for children's physical development but for their social and cognitive development, too.   -- Youth Participant, reporting on "The Role of Play in Healthy Development"

During the four days of this conference, 18,000 people will die in violence around the world, most of it in homes, behind closed doors. Three years in the making and incorporating input from 160 experts in 70 countries, the World Report on Violence and Health is a step in the direction of changing that. Dividing violence into three categories, it looks at each separately and together, because they rarely occur in isolation. For example, collective violence, such as war, can be linked with self-directed violence, such as substance abuse, which can be linked with interpersonal violence, such as domestic abuse. The health consequences are enormous, with costs that are at best difficult to measure. One aspect of a Global Campaign for Violence Prevention, this report was launched internationally four months ago and has since been launched nationally in 30 countries, many of which are now using it as a framework for the development of their own national reports. Child and Youth Health 2003 is the occasion for the Canadian launch, with hopes that Canadians will use it as a tool in continuing the ground-breaking work they are already doing in this area.   -- Etienne Krug, World Health Organization,"National Launch of World Report on Violence and Health"