The ages and stages of paediatric social prescribing.

Abstract

Social determinants of health can profoundly impact child and adolescent health outcomes. As demands on Canadian primary health care continue to grow, there is an increasing risk that patients' needs will go unmet. Social prescribing offers a practical way to address these concerns across all ages. Using a personalized approach, social prescribing enables healthcare professionals to identify individuals' non-medical needs and connect them with appropriate community resources via dedicated community connectors. These connectors can collaborate with children, adolescents, and their families to explore their values, co-create a social prescription, support its implementation, and provide longitudinal follow-up. Pediatric healthcare providers are particularly well-poised to make these referrals to deliver comprehensive care that supports their patients' holistic development. This commentary highlights representative examples of Canadian social prescribing initiatives that can benefit pediatric patients, emphasizing how these practices can be adapted across developmental stages and grow alongside the individual.